Protector
by R.L BlackRose
Summary: Deidara flees Akatsuki because the killing was taking a toll on his mind, and now they're after him. Sakura comes by him and he takes her, instead of killing her to keep his location secret- but why does she sense another reason behind the kidnap? DeiSaku [OLD]
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: AS IF I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH DEISAKU FANFICS ALREADY...! XD **

**Please, please, PLEASE review! Without reviews, I feel like... I'm giving a speech to a wall. Or having a conversation with a chair. SO PLEASE REVIEW YAY THANK YOOOU :3 ****Oh, and one more thing- I'm doing something special for this one. If you're one of those people that just NEEDS to know if there will be a happy or sad ending... then just tell me in your review and when I reply I will tell you! :)**

**I do not own Naruto. ****Happy reading, and I hope you enjoy! :D The poem IS by me~ :)**

Prologue

There is the protector, along with the protected.

There are the rejectors, and also the rejected.

When two opposites, by some strange chance meet-

Will they fight- or make each other complete?

She is the water, and he is the fire...

Is it fate- that they'll fulfill each other's desires?

She is the mouse, he's meant to be the snake-

But in the end... which side will he take?

Under cover of darkness, smothering night,

A heartbroken maiden is stolen by flight.

How many nights, under a silent moon

Will it take to get two shattered hearts back in tune?

The protector's job is to shield and defend...

Will he succeed in protecting his love...

...in the end?


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: YES, Sasori didn't die. What? It's not like the whole 'confrontation' scene could have happened with TOBI, right? XD**

**Hope you enjoy- PLEASE REVIEW! Thanksies! :3**

Chapter One

Deidara didn't notice Sasori leaning in the doorway until he cleared his throat.

Deidara jumped, startled. He quickly pushed all the things spread out on his cot into one big pile.

Sasori closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"I'd think," he said, stepping into the Akatsuki dormitory, "that you'd be more subtle about what you're planning on doing."

They were in a temporary place the Akatsuki had rented, a small building deep in the woods. The only ones there, at the moment, where Deidara, Sasori, and Zetsu.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Deidara said stiffly, turning away. His fringe whipped around along with him. Sasori stared disapprovingly at the back of his head.

"Are you sure you don't know?" Sasori said, walking noiselessly up to Deidara. He pushed him out of the way.

"Hey!" Deidara shouted, stumbling and turning around. "What's the big de-?"

He saw Sasori pick one of the things on the pile and hold it up.

"Why," he said, his eyes flashing. "Would you be packing your clothes when we're going to stay here for another week?"

Deidara's eyes flickered towards the ground. "Because... I don't want to have to do it lat-!"

"And then you hid it from me when you came in." Sasori finished, dropping the black travelling cloak back onto the pile.

Deidara drew in a breath, unsure on what to respond.

"I know you're planning on leaving Akatsuki." Sasori said, "and I can assure you that it's a horrible idea."

Deidara froze.

"Yes, I know all about your little plan." Sasori said, sitting on the cot. "You stole some of Kakuzu's money, didn't you? And you've been more nervous lately. Don't think I don't notice these things."

"Okay, fine!" Deidara said, crossing his arms. "So I'm leaving Akatsuki. What of it, un?"

"Well, first off," Sasori said, "You would immediately be recognized as a traitor and a threat to our plans. Someone would be sent to erase you."

"It's not like I'm going to go tell a village!" Deidara said. "I'm a missing-nin! They'd kill me the moment I set foot past their gates!"

"Which brings me to the next point- you have nowhere to go, brat!" Sasori said, standing up. "Just how stupid are you?"

"Smart enough to know that this..." he spread his arms, indicating everything around him, "isn't right."

"Isn't right?" Sasori said with contempt. "If you were as smart as you say, you would know that the only way you can keep making your art-"

"Who cares about my stupid art, un?" Deidara yelled, his eyes burning.

Sasori froze, slightly unsettled. His eyes narrowed.

"Why exactly are you leaving?" he said. His voice was dangerously soft.

"Because... because...!" Deidara said. "None of this is right! This isn't what I wanted with my art- killing people?" His fists clenched. "Do you know... what that whole mission with Gaara _did_ to me, un?" he said in a trembling voice.

"It was a hard mission." Sasori said. "We both almost died-"

"No!" Deidara yelled, his fingernails biting into his palms. "That's not what I mean!"

They both stood there for a few seconds.

Sasori rolled his eyes. "So, you sat on the guy." he said. "So what?"

"So what?" Deidara, clenching his teeth. "You don't get it!" he yelled, angry. "You don't understand anything! I can't stay here!"

"It's a bad idea." Sasori said. "A very bad idea."

"So?" Deidara said, tensing. "Are you going to try and stop me?" His hand slipped into his pouch, long fingers curling around the moist clay inside.

"Oh, save it." Sasori said. "We both know I'd beat you in a fight."

"Hey!" Deidara said. "That's not-!"

"However," he continued, "I won't try to stop you. All I can do is tell you that you're making a huge mistake."

Deidara's eyes widened. "You... you won't, un?" he said. "R-really?"

Sasori's eyes hardened. "I won't." he said. "But believe me, Deidara... you'll regret it."

"Oh, will I?"

"In fact... I hope I get the chance to be the one that makes you regret it."

Deidara glared coldly at Sasori. "I'll see you when that happens, then." he responded, pulling off his Akatsuki cloak and tossing it.

Sasori caught it as it floated down

Deidara slipped into his ordinary, black travelling cloak and shoved all the things on the cot into a bag, which he slung across his back. "Didn't even want to be part of this stupid organization in the first place." he muttered softly. "That damn Itachi made me, un."

He pulled the ring on his hand off and let it drop to the ground at Sasori's feet. It clattered in circles and then laid still. And finally, he pulled his crossed-out Iwagakure headband off. He stared at it for a little, remembering...

..and swiftly tossed it into the fireplace.

Sasori's eyes widened a little. _So he really is serious about this,_ he thought.

Deidara took a new headband, one with no village sign on it, and put it in the old one's place.

"Goodbye... Sasori no danna." he said, climbing onto the windowsill. Wouldn't want Zetsu to see him leave.

Sasori said nothing, only stared at him disapprovingly.

"Have fun wasting your art on something that's been doomed from the start." the blond finished.

And with that, he darted out the window and was gone.

"Brat." Sasori muttered, turning away from the open window.

He looked down at Deidara's cloak for a moment.

Sasori tossed it into the fire. It crackled loudly.

As he walked out the door the fire ate through the first Akatsuki cloud.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: TEEHEE... here, you get a glimpse of some of my slightly extremely obvious sadistic tendencies! XD**

**Aaanyway... wow, this is the second chapter in the same day! Plus the poem. **

**I really need to fix my sleeping schedule. :I**

**WELP... hope you guyses enjoy! :D**

Chapter Two

Sakura yawned, rubbing her eyes with one hand. In her other, she held a lantern. It's flickering light spread dancing tree shadows all around her.

"Grrr." Sakura muttered. "I'll kill you for this, Naruto."

This was all that mischevious spiky-haired idiot's fault. He was the one who was having that party at his house. But SOMEONE had to help with the night watch- so of course, they'd dumped it all on her.

Typical.

Her feet crunched on the fall leaves as she walked along her designated path.

Sakura abruptly stopped walking for a second. Her skirt swished around her legs as looked up. The moon stared back down at her, as if asking, 'What? What is it?'

"Sasuke..." she whispered. A cold wind breezed through the forest, and Sakura shivered.

She sat down for a second to rest, wrapping her arms aroud her legs. _Why didn't I bring my winter cloak? _she thought mournfully.

She thought of her bed at home. And blankets. And pillows.

Sakura stood back up again.

_If I stay put for too long thinking about stuff like that, I'll fall asleep!_ she decided. _Stupid night watch. Stupid Naruto._

She started walking again, this time a little faster. It wouldn't get her home and in bed faster, but at least it gave her the illusion that it would. _I'm bored_, she thought. _I'm always bored._

At the moment, there was nothing really important going on in her life. Not too many missions. Not too many duties. And something was missing, too. Or maybe... someone.

"Stupid Sasuke." she muttered, kicking at the ground. A couple leaves swirled into the air, and settled down as she walked away. Suddenly, she heard a noise.

She grew tense, drawing in a breath...

-and turned.

Nothing. Sakura let herself breathe again, resuming her slow walk.

And then-

A cracking noise. She whirled, clenching her fists.

"Who's there?" she growled.

Rustling in the leaves...!

A small squirrel dug its way out of the ground, chewing on a nut.

"Oh." Sakura said. "It's only you, little guy."

The squirrel turned to her for a second. After deciding that she wasn't important, it turned its attention back to its nut. Sakura smiled wearily and scooped a nut off the ground, swiftly cracking it and kneeling, holding it out to the small animal. The squirrel took it and started nibbling. Sakura watched it.

Suddenly, it looked up.

"What's wrong?" Sakura muttered, amused.

The squirrel chittered desperately and, shooting her one last look, ran away.

"Huh." Sakura said, straightening up. "That's odd... why did it-?"

A whooshing noise. Something was flying through the trees. Sakura perked up and immediately ran after the noise.

_I'm not going fast enough! _she thought, and leapt up onto a tree branch. She bounded from tree to tree, chasing the airy sound...!

And stopped.

Moonlight shone off the teen's blond hair. He turned.

Deidara and Sakura stared at each other for a second in complete surprise. Deidara was the first to speak, from atop his hovering bird.

"Hell." he said.

A thousand thoughts whirled through Sakura's mind. _Akatsuki! What do I do? He's going to kill me! I can't fight him alone! I've got no choice but to run and contact the head Night Watchman by walkie-talkie once I can get to a clearing with a signal._

Maybe two, or three seconds tops after Deidara spoke, Sakura was whirling and starting back through the trees.

Deidara suddenly realized something.

_She's going to go tell everyone I'm here, and they're all going to attack me! I guess I'll just have to kill her, then. Hmph._.

He urged his bird on, and it began coasting through the trees.

Sakura heard the rustle of wings, and realized he was following her. She gritted her teeth, jaw tightening. "This is bad, this is bad, this is very bad...!" she muttered anxiously, turning back.

"Hey. you! Pink hair!" Deidara shouted. "Stop running and I'll make it quick, un."

"Leave me alone!" she yelled. "I'm not even trying to attack you!"

"Doesn't matter!" he yelled. "This is annoying. Stop moving. You know I could catch up to you right now if I wanted to."

"I... I don't believe you!" Sakura shouted.

Her heart was doing furious laps in her chest. Her breath came and went quickly...

And suddenly, he pulled up beside her. "Told you, un." he said.

She screamed, jumping back. He followed her, smirking.

"You can run, but you can't hide..." he taunted.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted, knowing it was already over, knowing she couldn't win.

"Help!" she shouted desperately. "Someone! Hello?"

"No one can hear you, girl." Deidara said.

"HELP!" she screamed.

_ Wait. What if someone really does hear her? _Deidara thought. _Maybe I should just end this. Right now._

"Go." he whispered, and his clay bird dove down. It slammed into Sakura, and she lost her balance, tumbling down to the hard ground...

-and hit it. Hard.

"Ugh...!" she groaned. Her ribs burned. Sakura heard him close by, and tried to stand up. Pain, sharp and sick, shot through her leg.

She gasped, biting her lip, as his bird landed beside her.

Sakura cried out furiously, launching herself up on her one good leg at him, with her chakra-packed fists flying. He dodged, but one struck him on his side and he spun away, holding his midsection and gritting his teeth.

She panted, leaning against a tree. Her lantern was sitting on Deidara's bird. He'd picked it up.

To use it after he killed her.

_No!_ Sakura thought. _I won't die here. NO._

"No." she said.

"What?" Deidara said, tilting his head to the side.

Sakura drew two kunai, her eyes narrowing.

Deidara chuckled.

"You think you can take me down... with those?" he said. "Those are toys, un."

"I'll fight until I can't move anymore." she snarled, crouching.

"Whoa. Fierce." Deidara snickered. "It's too bad I have to kill you, no? If I ever see your friends, I'll make sure to tell them you fought until your last breath."

"Shut up." she said. Her hands tightened around the kunai.

"Only problem is, what to do with your body." he said in a bored voice. "Just leave it here, or deliver it to them?"

"You're trying to make me scared!" Sakura shouted. "Sorry, but that won't work. Not on me."

Deidara smiled. If it weren't for the clay he held in his hand, it might even have been a sincere one. "You're a sharp one, aren't you?" he said.

"You're playing with me!" Sakura hissed. "Just let me get this over with so I can go."

Deidara laughed loudly, clutching his stomach and doubling over. "Oh, that's hilarious." he said, wiping fake mirthful tears from his eyes.

"Sh-shut UP!" Sakura yelled. "J-just fight me!" Her tears betrayed her, sliding down her cheeks.

Deidara sighed. "Short, sweet, and to the point, huh?" he said. "I like that, un. Well... and if that's what you want..."

He suddenly darted at her. Sakura dodged, and swung her knives- but a fist slammed into her stomach. Another, on her arm. Her face. The punches rained down on her, and she fell to the ground and curled into a ball.

They stopped. A foot swung into her stomach.

Sakura coughed blood. It splattered onto the leaves on the earth. Deidara crouched beside her and flipped her over, grinding her chest into the dirt.

"I'll make it quick." he said. "Because you were so entertaining."

She tried kicking him with her good leg, as a last-ditch effort. In response, he snatched one of her kunai from the ground next to her and dug it into her side. She screamed, her face jerking up. It ripped through the air, the scream, and echoed off the trees.

"Stop squirming, un!" he said, pressing his knee into her back.

"I'll kill you!" she snarled. "And if I won't, someone will. They'll get you for this!"

"I doubt that." he said dryly. He drew his own knife, a long and curved one, and touched it to her neck. "I highly doubt that."

Sakura felt sick to her stomach. It made blood stream faster from the wound in her side. "Leave me alone!" she cried. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You saw me." he said. "Can't let anyone know I'm around here."

"No... please..." Sakura whispered, trembling.

_I'm sorry, Naruto... Ino... Sai... everyone..._

_ ...Sasuke...!_

Her eyes flickered up. She heard long knife whistle through the night air.

The moon... A last glimpse of sky...

She squeezed her eyes shut and waited to die.

Deidara looked down, the knife above him. It glinted with moonlight. _She's shaking_, he thought.

And indeed, tremors were going through her shoulders. Her breaths were gasps. He could feel her heart beat through her back, beneath his knee- running quickly, as if to squeeze as many beats as it could into its host's last moments.

_I wonder what she's thinking? _he thought. _Probably about her family. Or her friends._

Deidara suddenly realized something. If he killed her... then that would mean he was really the same person as he was before. Still a murderer. Like in the Akatsuki.

Plus... he was lonely... so very lonely and bored... and this girl was interesting. Entertaining, he'd called her a few minutes before.

She was strong, but not very strong... he could easily control her... keep her...

His bloodlust suddenly wasn't as potent as before.

"Say..." he said, lowering his knife. "What's your name, un?"

Sakura, hyperventilating and pouring cold sweat and blood, opened her eyes. "M-my name?" she said hoarsely.

"Yeah." he said.

There was silence, laced only with Sakura's heavy breathing and the chirping crickets all around them. She swallowed.

"Sakura." she said. "Sakura Haruno."

And Deidara sighed, knowing he was on the verge of making a very stupid and reckless decision. He slid his knee off Sakura's back and instead held her down with his hand.

He leaned down next to her ear and spoke softly into it. "Sakura." he said in a low voice. "What would you be willing to do... to stay alive?"

"To stay alive?" she said, her voice dropping to barely a shadow of a whisper. She thought- but answer was simple. "Anything." she breathed.

And then the tiredness of the day, the pain from her wound, and emotional stress from the fight all cashed in at once. Her head drooped onto the ground and the limbs that weren't broken grew limp.

Deidara stared at her for a few seconds. In one smooth motion, he picked her up and started walking towards his bird, which was sitting idly by and picking at its feathers. Before getting on it, he gazed down at her closed face and contemplated what he was about to do.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." he muttered to himself, leaping up onto his bird. "I must really be an idiot."

_What am I going to tell her when she wakes up?_

He stood on the clay bird as it flapped its wings and started moving, soaring up over the trees as he took her away.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Why, hello thar! M'kay, right to the point. Some of you said that Sakura was way too weak; don't worry- Sakura will get her moments too! It's just that I didn't want to bore all of you wonderful readers with a long, run-on battle scene right at the beginning. Also, I WANTED TO GET RIGHT TO THE MAIN PART. O^O Also, there's that whole "Deidara is at a higher level than Sakura" thing, but I don't want to start a war in the reviews- so for now, enjoy the next chapter! XD  
>AND MOAR REVIEWS PLEASE 8'D... you don't know how much I love them. Or maybe you do- but they're still AMAZING! :3 Critique, too- I've got a lot to learn! <strong>

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Three

Sakura felt something brushing past her. Air, cool and crisp.

Air. She could breathe.

In a drowsy daze, Sakura's eyes started to flicker open... and then, abruptly, they flew open. Sakura shot up, eyes wide. "Wha-?"

An arm hooked around her neck and painfully jerked her back. "You might not want to get to close to the edge, un." an amused voice said in her ear. "Unless you want to fall to your death, that is."

Sakura sucked in a breath as her surroundings came into focus. Her hands curled into fists.

"None of that." Deidara said, letting go of her neck. She pulled away, withdrawing to the part of the bird farthest away from him... which wasn't very far, unfortunately.

"Why shouldn't I?" Sakura snarled, her eyes burning with hate. "Why shouldn't I just kill you right now?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Deidara muttered. "I thought you'd be smarter than that."

"Answer me!" Sakura shouted at him.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm the one who controls the bird." he said in a bored voice. "You kill me... and you die with me."

Sakura swallowed. _I hadn't thought of that. _

"I hate you." she said softly, her voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"The feeling is mutual, I can assure you, un." Deidara said, turning back towards the front of the bird.

Sakura glared at him from the back. "So? Then why didn't you kill me?" she spat.

"Because, if anyone ever wants to attack me," he said, "I can use you as a bargaining tool."

"Oh?" she responded. "So you're taking me back to all the rest of your little Akatsuki friends, then?"

"Nope. I'm not part of that stupid organization anymore."

Sakura blinked once. Twice. Then,

"What? Then why do you even need to fight anymore?" she said, confused. "Couldn't you just-"

"As you may have seen, I don't exactly have the best reputation with the villages." Deidara said.

"No, but... it would be fine!" Sakura said. "You could just go and tell them that-"

"Oh, put a sock in it." Deidara said, turning. "You just want to be able to go back to your stupid little village."

"And who said I didn't?" Sakura yelled at him. "It's not like I pulled myself from my village and my friends by _force_!"

"I asked you what you would do to stay alive," Deidara said, raising his eyebrows at her. "And guess what you answered?"

Sakura's fists clenched, harder this time. The knuckles jutting out turned a pearly shade of white.

"Anything." he said. "You said anything. Here's your 'anything', idiot Kunoichi."

"I hate you!" she seethed.

"You're repeating yourself."

"So? I don't have to do what you say!" Sakura shouted, face turning red. "You don't own me! I- I'd rather DIE than be your frickin' SLAVE for the rest of-!"

Suddenly, he was right in front of her, his one visible blue eye flashing. "You'd rather _die_, un?" he said...

-as he reached out...

And pushed her straight off the bird.

Time passed slowly for Sakura, slowing down. His face... slowly getting smaller... was that... for just a second... the smallest sliver of regret crossing his face...? But then gravity remembered her and seized her with it's heavy hands.

And Sakura fell. She screamed, the wind rushing in her ears. _I'm going to die!_ she thought frantically. _Die- die-!_

She couldn't hear her own screaming over the rush- her head spun, pounding blood all she heard- air whipping into her- Pure, adrenaline-spiked terror suddenly coursing through her veins-

A 'whump' noise. Then, silence.

_Am... am I falling anymore?_

She slowly uncoiled, opening her eyes...

Deidara shook his head. "Hmph. Afraid of a little free-fall, are you?"

It took Sakura a few seconds to remember how to form words.

"You-!" she choked out.

"See, that's what happens when you don't do what I say." he said. "Splat."

"I HATE YOU!" Sakura screamed, kicking randomly upwards. In her dazed state, Deidara easily pinned her down.

"That's the third time you've said that." Deidara said, smirking. "You must really not like me."

Sakura's eyes burned. _No!_ she thought bitterly, pushing him away in disgust. _No tears. Not in front of him. Never. I'll show no weakness to this... this murderer!_

Instead she swore at him, turning away. Her hands clenched her skirt, fingernails digging into the coarse fabric.

"Who would've known that such a fussy girl would have such a sailor mouth?" he muttered.

When he realized that she wasn't answering him with another snappy comeback, he turned.

She was sitting on her knees, head down. Pink hair hung around it, like a curtain. A tremor ran through her shoulders. Every few seconds, they would shake like that.

_She's crying._

_ Why do I feel so guilty?_

_ I wonder if I should say something._

_ Wait, hell no! What am I thinking? I'm the captor, not her frickin' mom._

He sighed and turned to her anyway.

"Don't cry. It's depressing."

"I'm n-not crying!" she said, voice thick with tears.

"You're not very good at lying, un."

She didn't answer.

A feeling of loneliness tickled in his chest. He'd almost liked it better when she was arguing with him.

"So?" she said. Her voice startled him.

"What?" he said.

She turned, her face both angry and broken. "You're not Akatsuki." she said. "You're not going back to a village... what ARE you going to do?"

"The Akatsuki don't let you just 'leave', un." Deidara chuckled. "Don't be silly."

"But if THEY'RE going to be the ones chasing you," she said, "then why ME?"

"You're useful in many ways." Deidara said, looking back at the front of the bird.

"Oh? Like?"

"For those pesky village ninjas. Plus, you're a medic-nin, aren't you?"

Sakura nodded.

"There."

"You can't just force me to heal you!" Sakura yelled. "That's stupid!"

Rough hands suddenly grabbed her arms, pulling her towards him. "You don't seem to get it yet." he whispered in her ear. His voice was dangerously soft.

Sakura gritted her teeth, trying to wrench away. One of the tongues on his hand-mouths flicked onto her arm, and her arm muscles tightened. She squirmed in revulsion.

"I can do whatever I want with you, un." he said. "I could kill you right now. I could torture you, blow up parts of your body until you bleed to death. If you want to live, you'll listen to what I say and-"

Sakura broke into full, heartbroken sobbing, her entire small frame shaking. Deidara felt an instant wave of guilt crash over him.

_Okay, so maybe I got a little carried away._

"Don't cry, it's depressing." he said.

"Shut UP already!" she shouted at him.

She swung her fist around and punched him. His head hit the clay of the bird under him, and then her fist slammed into his stomach. He coughed, the air rushing out of his lungs.

A hand clamped onto his throat.

"I'll crush your windpipe if you don't get both of us on ground _right now_." Sakura hissed.

_Oho, so now she's back to being a reckless little idiot._

"You really think this is enough to stop me?" he said, smiling.

A clay hand shot up from the bird, grabbing her. Another one.

Another still.

She gasped, trying to get them off- but more and more just reached up and pulled her down, into the bird.

"Maybe this'll teach you a lesson, un!" Deidara said angrily, painfully holding his midsection.

"N-no!" Sakura said. She couldn't move. Her body was sinking into the clay. "Stop! I'll suffocate!"

"See if I care." Deidara muttered. "You're such a pain."

"No! Please!" Sakura yelled. "Stop!"

A hand clamped over her mouth.

Her panicked eyes screamed at him...

And then with a final crunching sound, her head disappeared below the clay. Deidara waited a few seconds.

_Okay, fine, I can't just kill her._

_ I'm so stupid._

Deidara plunged his hand into the clay and pulled her out. She lay on the surface for a few moments, gasping.

Her eyes hardened.

It wasn't going to go on like this.

"You know what?" she said bitterly. "If every day you force me to stay with you is like this... then I really would rather die!"

Deidara's eyes widened. She wasn't just blowing off steam- this time, she was really serious about it.

"You die when it's useful to me."

Sakura choked on her desperation, hot and furious. She grabbed his shirt, digging long fingernails into his skin.

"Ow!" he said. "What are you-?"

"Let me go back." she said softly. "Please."

Deidara wanted to tell her it was okay somehow, it would be okay. That he wasn't going to kill her. Instead, though, he just turned away and spoke.

"No."

Sakura sank down, raking her fingers down his skin, and laid her head on the clay, curling up from the emotional agony.

Deidara stared at her, unsure of what he felt. Guilt, maybe. Anger, at himself. At the stupid pink-haired Kunoichi that just wouldn't give up.

Sympathy...?

He crushed that thought. He wouldn't have sympathy.

_Never_, he thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura woke up. It was the afternoon. She shivered. It was cold, the autumn air.

"Are you cold?" Deidara said.

She couldn't come up with anything nasty to shoot back at him. "Yes." she answered.

"Come here." he said.

"What? No!" Sakura shouted, recoiling. "Never!"

In one quick motion, Deidara whipped his cloak around her and pulled it back, pressing her against him. Instant radiated through her skin, and she shivered again.

She noticed a tint of red in Deidara's cheeks as he turned away. "Don't want you to freeze to death." he mumbled. "It wouldn't be convenient."

Sakura hated him, hated him for his tortures and for pulling her away from her life and family.

And now... she also hated him for his kindness.

A question suddenly rose to her mind. "Why did you leave Akatsuki?" she said.

She felt him tense.

"That's none of your business, un." he muttered.

"Fine, then. Don't tell me!" she said angrily. "I'll get it out of you somehow."

"Suuure you will."

There was a silence.

Another question.

"What do you want from me?" she said.

"I already told you."

_His reasons are thin._ she thought. _What does he really want from me?_

"What do you really want from me?" she asked.

He said nothing.

She watched the scenery go by underneath them for a little while.

A final question.

"What's going to happen to me from now on?"

Deidara was silent. At first, she didn't think he was going to answer. She huffed, turning away.

She jumped when he heard his voice in her ear.

"Why, whatever I see fit, of course... Sakura."

That was the first time in the conversation that he'd called her by her name. Not idiot Kunoichi. Not 'you'. Her name, Sakura.

She decided not to mention it.

Suddenly, she realized that the bird was coasting down. The forest lay beneath them. She looked around as they descended through the trees. Once the bird touched down, she ripped free of him and stumbled onto the ground. She fell onto her hands and knees, happy to be on sweet, firm land.

"Hey, don't run off!" Deidara said, pulling her up by her collar and dumping her on the bird.

She glared at him.

"I need sleep." Deidara mused. "The only problem is, you can escape while I sleep."

_Night already?_ Sakura thought, looking up. And indeed, the moon was already faintly visible through the clouds. _Wow. I must have slept for a while._

_ But I'm still so, so tired..._

Sakura suddenly felt sick. She swallowed.

"Eat while I think about it." he said. "I did while you were sleeping."

He reached into his pack and pulled out a few food pills, along with a bottle of water. He tossed them to her.

She watched him fix his bird as she ate. The dry, flavorless pills weren't good at all, but they did stop ache in her stomach.

Deidara finished, zipping his clay pouch shut. He reached into his sack and drew out a blanket, spreading it on the hard forest floor.

He sat down.

"Well, there's no way around it." he said. "Come here."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "No way." she said. "Not in a million years!"

"Come here." he said. "You're wasting your time arguing with me."

She clenched her teeth and crawled over, falling into a curled position on the blanket. He laid down behind her and wrapped one arm around her waist. The other went around around her chest.

"Don't try to escape." he said. "It's annoying. I'll notice if you try to leave, so... don't even think about it, un"

"Sure." Sakura said dryly. "Whatever you say, oh all-powerful master."

"The all-power master has mouths on his hands, and can make you very, very uncomfortable with them. Don't you forget that."

"Goodnight... jerk."

She could practically see him smirk in the little light that shone down from the rapidly darkening sky.

"Good night."

Sakura stayed tense until she heard his breathing slow down. Then, she relaxed.

She could feel his heartbeat.

Heartbeat.

_He's a real, living person. He has a heart, whether it feels for others or not._

_ And for some reason that I must figure out... he stole me._

_ Once I figure that out, I'll know his weakness- and I'll be able to escape._

But deep down, she knew the reason- or at least a small part of it.

Because she'd heard the longing in his voice in the last sentences he'd spoken... and felt the gentle embrace that was around her now, arms wrapped around her carefully as to refrain from hurting her. She didn't understand, and her confused thoughts eventually lulled her to sleep.

But of course she didn't.

Because she didn't see him open his eyes after he was sure she was sleeping. She didn't see him hold her still body close, or see the hot tears that gathered in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks and onto the back of her shirt.

She didn't hear the torn, teary words he whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry, Sakura..., I just don't want to be alone anymore, I'm so sorry... I'm sorry...!"

And then, after he'd buried his face in her hair, after his breathing had returned to normal...

"Please... love me..."


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: This... is more of a short transition-y chapter than the past ones! It contains mild fluff. Teehee... but if you think this is a lot of fluff... wait till I get to the HARDCORE FLUFFINESS that I'm planning later! XD**

**Right now, the story's a bit thin- but don't worry! It'll get better... YOU MAY TAKE MY WORD FOR IT! O^O**

**As always, please review and critique (Tell me how I can do better!)... but if you have an account, could you please log in? I like replying to every single review I get! :3**

Chapter Four

Sakura slowly became aware of the sunlight streaming down on her. Her eyes flickered open, and she stretched lazily.

Suddenly, she popped up. Where was-?

"Hey, look. The lazy kunoichi finally wakes up, un."

She turned. He was sitting on his bird, his hands moving around a neatly shaped clay figure. Her chest ached as the events of the day before came flooding back to her.

"You have no idea how much I want to punch your face in." Sakura hissed at him.

Deidara ignored the statement. "Time to leave." he said. "Come over here-"

"No." Sakura said coldly.

"I thought we'd been over this, un!" Deidara said. "You listen to me, or I make you."

"So? I already said that I'd rather die- why don't you just kill me?" she shouted. "If-"

Deidara was suddenly behind her, lifting her up and sweeping her legs off the ground.

"Hey!" Sakura yelled, trying to twist free of his arms. "Let GO of me! Let g-"

"Why are you so disobedient?" Deidara muttered. "Seriously, un."

This question filled Sakura with rage. "Disobedient?" she yelled. "I will never, ever be 'obedient' to anyone! I would rather die than have my freedom taken a-"

"I would rather die than this, I would rather die than that, you say- are you suicidal?"

"No!"

"So no more arguing about you dying." Deidara said, smoothly getting onto the bird. "You know it's pointless."

The bird flapped its wide wings and soared up, into the sky. Deidara dumped Sakura onto the bird. She looked down, seeing the treetops get farther and farther away... missing the ground already.

"What, afraid of heights?" Deidara snickered.

Sakura swung a punch at him, which he easily caught. He pulled her towards him by the arm he'd caught, and she yelped in surprise as he wrapped one strong arm around her arms and shoulders, effectively trapping her.

"Stop trying to punch me." he said, raising her chin up with his fingers. "You're too wild, not careful enough. At least put some effort into trying to hurt me, un."

She wrenched her head away from his hand and glared at him angrily. "Let-GO...of-me." she hissed from in between clenched teeth.

"I don't feel like it." he said, smirking down at her.

Sakura blushed a deep shade of red. "YOU kidnapped ME- so the least you could do," she growled, "would be to let me sit far away from you."

"But that would be so... _boring_." Deidara said.

"Why do you want me next to you anyway?" Sakura shouted, turning even darker red. "I thought you just wanted to use me as a bargaining tool and a medic! Where's that excuse now, huh?"

Deidara tilted his head, thinking of something to answer that.

"But I get lonely." he said mockingly.

"Oh, sure!" she responded, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Poor, lonely murderer."

"You're turning red." he accused.

"Sh-shut up." Sakura muttered. She felt nothing but revulsion, disgust at the feeling of her back against him. She wanted to punch him, smack him, make him hurt. Which would have been perfectly fine with her- if it weren't for the fact that her arms were trapped.

Suddenly, she felt something on her head. His long, dexterous fingers were sneaking into her hair.

Sakura shuddered. "Get your hands OUT of my hair!" she yelled.

"Such an odd color, un." he mused. "Pink. That's not a hair color you see every day."

"Don't ignore me when I talk!" she said. "Hey- are you listening to me? Are you-?"

"Stop making so much noise." Deidara said. "You're going to give me a headache."

Sakura flushed, falling silent. She felt his fingers work through her hair.

"Why are you so tense?" he said. "Relax already."

"How am I supposed to relax when you've trapped me next to you, huh?"

"It's very easy, actually." he said.

"Let go!" she said crossly.

"Or what?"

"Or... I'll kick you!"

"Oh, no, you'll KICK me? Gee, I sure hope that you don't- OW!"

"HA." Sakura said haughtily. "See? It did hurt!"

Deidara grabbed her legs and pushed them onto the surface of the bird.

"Hey!" Sakura shouted. "That hurts! Let go!"

"Don't kick me." he said. "I could break both your legs if I wanted to. You wouldn't be able to try to kick me then."

Sakura gasped in pain, tears springing into her eyes.

"Fine, I won't, I won't!" she yelled, "Just let go! Please!"

Deidara was suddenly filled with disgust at himself, a sick feeling.

"Don't!" she cried out, feeling his muscled arms tightening around her. "D-don-!"

But instead, he embraced her, pushing her mouth onto his shoulder to muffle her cries. She froze, her mind reeling. The leftovers of the panic attack a few seconds earlier gave her a pounding headache, blood rushing to her head.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. "I'll never, ever hurt you on purpose like that again."

Sakura's eyes widened. The wind blew strands of his ponytail into her face.

She swallowed, drawing back. "Promise?" she said, looking down at her knees.

Deidara lifted her chin up, looking into her eyes.

"Promise."

And though Sakura wasn't sure whether she believed him...she did know one thing.

And that thing, no matter how small, was the first domino in a long chain. The light drizzle before a storm.

The first petal of a flower peeking out before all the others come out... to start the blooming of the oh-so-delicate, yet undeniably beautiful flower. The one thing she knew now for sure.

Deidara was human. He had feelings, emotions. Sympathy. Happiness. Grief. All of them.

And though she may not have realized it, her subconscious had instantly recognized another emotion that human beings are capable of.

Love.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: WOW long chapter! Something to properly introduce the guys that Deidara and Sakura are up against.**

**NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE... pretty fluffy. So... EXPECT THAT O^O**

**But the hardcore fluffiness will still take a little more time. BE PATIENT, MY BEAUTIFUL READERS! XD**

**PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE review/critique! It makes me all kinds of stupid happy. ;)**

**Enjoy! :3**

Chapter Five

The sky was growing dark, stars slowly emerging from the roof of the world. Sakura's head drooped. She lifted it up again, eyes bleary, and crawled over to Deidara.

"Why can't we just land and go to sleep?" she moaned, pulling at his sleeve.

"Because!" Deidara said. "I'm looking for a cave around here."

"Fine." Sakura muttered.

She was tired. Something soft would be nice... she slowly inched her head towards his arm.

Her eyes flickered up to his face, checking if it was annoying him. She found that he was staring at her from the corner of his eye.

"Go ahead." he said. "I don't mind."

Sakura blushed, leaning against him and closing her eyes.

"As long as you don't drool on me."

She pinched his arm, and smirked when she felt him wince.

After a while, he shook her, waking her up.

"Wha..?" she said groggily, raising her head.

"We've gotta land somewhere." he said. "It's getting dark."

"Mmm." Sakura said, stretching out her arms. "Why do you want a cave, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know, un! It doesn't make sense because I, of course,have an inexhaustible amount of chakra which I can use day after day after-"

"I get it, I get it!" Sakura snapped. "Find your cave, or whatever."

The bird dipped towards the ground, on a steep angle. Sakura grabbed his arm, digging her nails into the cloth of his sleeves.

"Oops." he said. The bird's fall evened out. "Forgot that you don't fly."

"I have flown!" she said. "A few times. With Sai."

"What? Who's that? Does he make birds?"

When she didn't answer, he looked down and saw a distant, longing look in her eyes.

_My friends._ she thought. _Sai. Naruto. Kakashi... my team..._

_ I'll never see them again..._

A searing hatred for Deidara rose up in her throat.

"Never mind." he said, seeing her struggle with the memories.

He felt terrible about what he'd done. Again. Looking down, he realized that they'd almost landed. When they reached the ground, they both got off.

"I'll send a smaller bird to look for a cave." he said, opening his hand. A small bird, no bigger than a fly, sped through the trees and faded into the darkness. They waited for it, sitting against the bird.

Sakura felt the darkness pressing in on her, and so she lit up her hands with her palm technique. Deidara's eyes widened and he whipped his head around-

"What?" she said. "I'm only making light so I can see."

"What's that technique?"

"Mystical Palm..."

Sakura suddenly remembered something that she'd seen someone else do. He was so close... all it would take would be to grab him and not let go. She could overload his system... send him into a coma...

_No, that wouldn't work._ she thought dejectedly. _He'd just blow me to smithereens when he realizes it._

Deidara stood up. Sakura glanced up towards the trees as the small, insect-like bird came back, flying into his hand. He closed his fist around it. When he opened it, it was no longer there.

"Come on." he said. "It's this way. And... turn off the freaky hand-lights."

Sakura nodded, turning her hands off. They were both plunged into complete and absolute darkness.

"On second thought," Deidara said, "Keep your hands glowing."

They lit up again, shining through the gloves on her hands. Green light shone on the trees.

"This way!" he said, grabbing her wrist and walking quickly through the forest. She stumbled, then settled at his pace.

He stopped sometimes, muttering to himself and turning sharply. "Wait. Stop." he said suddenly. Sakura stopped.

"What, what is it?" she said worriedly.

"Nothing bad, just want to check the direction we're going." he said. He closed his eyes, remembering what his bird had told him.

Sakura heard a noise, turned...

And saw a faint light was shining through a cluster of tall bushes.

"Hey... what's that?" she muttered. She reached out a cautious hand to part them.

"What's what?" Deidara said, turning and walking towards her-

Sakura pulled them apart-

A dark, human shape was hunched over, digging a long spear into himself. A deer lay on the ground, letting out pathetic bellowing cries. Blood pooled around both of them, glittering by the light of the lantern lay on the ground next to him.

Deidara and Sakura froze. The human shape suddenly looked up, straight at them.

His skin was mostly black, except for a few white skeleton-like marks. Red eyes sparkled in the night.

He laughed loudly. "Hey, Kakuzu!" he called over his shoulder. "I think we're-!"

Deidara didn't wait to hear what he was saying. He grabbed Sakura's wrist and pulled her away, running.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sakura shouted, stumbling as she tried to keep up. "What's going on? Go slower!"

"We can't go slower!" he said. "He was Akatsuki! What don't you understand?"

"Why are you-" Sakura said, and then it dawned on her. "Do they... want to kill you?"

"WHY DO YOU THINK WE'RE RUNNING?" he shouted.

"You- you can fly!" she said. "Right?"

"That wouldn't be a good idea- we practically have no light, un!"

"Try!" Sakura shouted.

"Okay, but first, stop shouting!" Deidara said. "They're probably following us."

"Oh." Sakura said. "S-sorry."

Deidara threw a glance over his shoulder, and dug his hand into his pouch. Sakura heard a laugh nearby, behind them.

"Hurry up!" she whispered fiercely.

"I'd like to see you try this!" he hissed back.

Suddenly, he felt his hand-mouth spit out the bird. He flung it into the air, in front of them- It burst into a bird and he leapt up, dragging Sakura up into the air with him by her wrist.

She gasped, feeling the muscles stretch.

The instant they landed on the bird, it rose up abruptly in a vertical line.

_That idiot!_ Sakura thought. Her hands reached out for him... and missed. She started sliding down the bird- she was going to fall-!

Losing her concentration, the lights in her hands went out. They were left in complete darkness... except for one bobbing light that was weaving through the trees towards them.

She couldn't hold on- falling- falling-!

"Deidara!" she yelled. "Help, I'm falling!"

"Sakura!" he said, turning.

Deidara grabbed for her in the dark and managed to grab an arm- no, it was gone- the front of the shirt- it slipped out of his grasp-

He grabbed her leg... hands slipped down to her ankle- finally, he gripped her booted foot, holding on to it with all his might. The bird, having too much weight on its tail end, started turning over. Deidara grunted, concentrating, and it righted itself, wobbling.

Sakura suddenly screamed loudly.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" he shouted down. He couldn't see her... too dark...

She screamed again, and suddenly he saw her face...

In the light of the lantern that Kakuzu held in his hand.

The two Akatsuki were standing on a tree branch beneath Sakura. Kakuzu's hand shot out, grabbing her throat. The threads leading from his arm went taut as he pulled down.

Hard.

It forced Deidara down onto his stomach, desperately holding on to her. "No!" he hissed, willing the bird to rise. But he was tired. The bird struggled... trying to pull up-

_If I try to go up too much, it'll tip over! _he thought frantically.

"Hey, look!" Hidan laughed. "The birdboy has a travelling companion."

Sakura swung a punch, but it was hard to see in the near-complete darkness- especially upside down.

"C'mon, Kakuzu!" Hidan giggled. "Let me do my ritual!"

"No." Kakuzu said. "Can't you see that they're almost escaping?"

"Fine." Hidan grumbled, turning away. "Just... kill them both with your stupid string tricks, or whatever."

Kakuzu looked up at Deidara, struggling to hold on to Sakura with both hands. His legs were hooked around the bird's neck, and the bird itself was close to flipping over completely.

"I give you back your arms... and this is how you repay me." he muttered.

"It was you Akatsuki people's fault that lost them in the first place!" Deidara yelled down. _Just gotta stall... a little longer...! _he thought.

"This girl." Kakuzu said. "You obviously don't want us to get her."

"You don't know tha-!"

A spear-like shape, made of dark threads, spun out of Kakuzu's chest and slit Sakura open. Sakura's eyes widened for a second.

"Oh." she said softly...

And then a spray of blood spurted out from her stomach.

"SAKURA!" Deidara yelled. _Gotta stall... she might still live... stall...!_

_ Why didn't I just leave her? They would've just gone after me! They wouldn't have gone after her!_

But inside, he knew that was a lie. Of course they would've gone to kill her once they were done with him. Or even if he'd escaped.

"Stop!" Deidara said. "What do you have to gain from killing her?"

"You obviously don't like it!" Hidan said, flashing a grin at him. "Plus..."

Sakura panted heavily, feeling the blood drip down her chest... pouring past her neck... and Kakuzu reached into her stomach with his threads.

Sakura writhed in agony, screaming.

"Kakuzu needs new organs." Hidan sneered.

The taste of blood filled Sakura's mouth. The smell of it, like copper, sharp and metallic... the threads pulling at her insides...

"AT LEAST KILL HER FIRST BEFORE YOU DO THAT!" Deidara roared desperately, trying to say anything, everything to stall- just a few seconds more-

Sakura let out a desperate wail, trying to squirm- loosen his hold on her-

And suddenly a bird, the first one that Deidara'd made, barrelled through the forest and slammed into the two standing on the ground. Deidara let himself fall, and he tumbled onto the bird. He pulled Sakura up and she cried out horribly as her wound seared with pain, landing in a pile.

He grabbed her in his arms and the bird rose up at a sharp ninety-degree angle into the air. Kakuzu and Hidan got up from the ground quickly and leapt up through the remaining tree branches- chasing them-

But then the bird broke through the tops of the trees and rose up into the fresh, clear night air. Deidara looked back at them both, seeing them get smaller and smaller. He didn't look away until he couldn't see them anymore.

Then he turned around, looking down at Sakura. She stared up at him, eyes half closed. "Deidara...?" she whispered.

"Light up your hands!" he said. With great effort, she pooled her chakra in them. They flickered on.

He saw her stomach was cut open, spilling blood all over his pants. Deidara started to panic.

_What do I do? _he thought. _How can I stop the bleeding? A- a bandage! But- how-?_

"Deidara." she said, through strangled breaths. "The- bleeding-"

"I know, I know- but I don't know how to stop the bleeding-"

"Deidara, you... idiot..." she panted. "I'm a... medic!"

_Oh. Right._

"What do I do, un?" he said.

"A cloth... over... the wound..." she breathed. "Press... until... stops..."

Deidara ripped her bloodied shirt off. It tore some of her skin, and she clenched her teeth in pain. "Take it easy!" she said.

"Sorry." he muttered, lifting what remained of her undershirt up to her chest to expose the wound. It was big and ugly, shiny with a crimson coating of blood. He pushed her shirt into it.

She hissed in pain, doubling over. "What part of 'take it easy' don't you understand?" she yelled hoarsely..

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Deidara shouted back. "It's not like I'm trying to save your LIFE or anything!"

Sakura shot him a glare.

"Hey," Deidara said. "Why can't you just... heal yourself?"

"I don't know," Sakura said, "But I bet it isn't because I'm bleeding to death!"

"Hmph."

"And what was with that thing you said? 'At least kill her first before you do that?' What the HELL were you THINKING?"

"I... I was trying to stall!" Deidara said.

"Sure didn't sound like it!"

"What happened, happened, un! Okay?" Deidara said.

"Fine." Sakura said, lying back down.

"Hey, the bleeding isn't stopping-"

"Press harder!"

He did, and she let go a choked scream. Deidara grimaced.

"Ah... ah... ah..." she said, shaking.

"Distract yourself!" Deidara said.

"H-how?" she said.

"Um... I don't know... sing!"

"Sing WHAT?"

"Uh... that song!"

"Very descriptive."

"That famous one- Sakura, Sakura, or whatever it's called!"

The bleeding was slowing, but not fast enough. He pressed her shirt in harder, and she grabbed his wrist with one shaking hand.

And so she started to sing the song that she shared her name with in a cracked and tired voice...

"S-sakura, Sakura...

Yo-yo-i no... so-ra wa..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down at the forest below. It was evening.

Suddenly, the world went dark. The only light came from someone behind her... she turned...

"Sasuke?" she said, seeing him. "Sasuke! I-"

He reached out, grabbed her shoulders, and pushed her off the cliff. She screamed, tipping backwards- falling-!

Straight into someone's arms. His face was faintly lit... yellow hair... fringe...

"Deidara?" she said. "Deidara, is that you?"

He was doing something on her torso... her stomach... she felt something wet on her midsection-

. And realized it was his hand-mouths.

"Oooh... stop... stop!" she yelled. "Deidara, stop!"

He moved his hands, pushing them onto her bare skin... a slimy, tickling feeling...

"S-stop, please!" she yelled again. "Stop licking me! Nooo-!"

She suddenly shot up, out of her dream, and her head hit Deidara's. "Ow!" she heard him shout.

_Only a dream... it was only a dream..._ she thought, her breathing heavy.

The sun was just starting to rise, peeking over the horizon.

"What were you dreaming, un?" Deidara snorted.

"Nothing." Sakura said, blushing.

"You kept going, 'stop licking me.'" he went on. "Were you dreaming about me?"

"N-no!" she said. "Not at all!"

"You also said, 'Deidara, stop.'" he said, smirking evilly. "I think you _were_ dreaming about me."

"Shut up!" Sakura said, covering her face in shame. "I lost blood! It was a weird dream!"

"Ohoho, I get it." Deidara taunted. "I get it very much."

She slapped him angrily.

"What was that for, un?" he yelled.

"What were you doing to me while I was asleep?" she yelled back.

"I was saving your life, remember?" he said, exasperated. "I washed the wound and wrapped a bandage around it!"

_The wetness... and his hands..._

_ Oh._

_ Stupid, runaway imagination._

"Wh-whatever." Sakura said, turning away. "Where are we going now?"

"I don't know." Deidara said. "Far away. Maybe to the earth country. I don't remember Akatsuki having much experience there... I just need to hide until they decide that they're wasting their time and resources, and call Hidan and Kakuzu back."

"But what are you going to do with me once that happens?" Sakura said bitterly.

"Keep you! What if any village ninjas come after me?"

Sakura bit her lip, forcing herself to stop talking. She suddenly felt very dizzy.

"Don't heat yourself up." Deidara said. "It'll only make you feel worse, in your current state."

"This would NEVER have happened if you didn't take me!" Sakura shouted, ignoring his advice. "You've caused all of this! I hate-!"

She winced, grabbing her stomach.

"Just... calm down." Deidara said. "Okay? It was either that or killing you."

"I know." Sakura sighed.

"Lie down." Deidara said. "Rest, or else you'll never get back the blood you lost."

Sakura slid down, exhausted, and closed her eyes. Deidara passed her a food pill and a bottle of water. She finished both in little time. It made her sleepy.

"How are they tracking you?" she said groggily. "If they can't see you fly when you're really above the clouds..."

"Probably by my chakra, un." Deidara said. "But it's odd, because I'm really high up. They shouldn't be able to sense me this far away, I don't think."

"Hm." Sakura said. "That is odd."

"If I could get rid of the way they're tracking me, then I could also get them off my tail... I just don't know how..."

"Yeah, well, you'll probably figure it out somehow." she said, turning over to her side.

"Yeah."

Deidara blinked lazily, suddenly realizing how tired he was. "I've gotta rest. We're going to land."

"But where?" Sakura said. "What if they find us?"

He ran his hand through his hair. She was right.

"We've been going pretty fast." he said. "We'll just have to take the chance."

"No!" Sakura said, sitting up. "That's a terrible idea!"

"I don't have much chakra left, we've been in the air all day!" Deidara said. "There's no other choice, un."

"Fine." Sakura said.

The bird started down slowly.

They landed smoothly. Deidara took his bag off his back and reached into it, pulling out a blanket. He spread it out on the bird. "See? If anyone comes, we can just take off." he said. "Now come here."

Sakura was too tired to complain, so she crawled over to him, curling up and falling asleep. He encircled her waist with his arms and drifted almost immediately into puzzled dreams.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Deidara... Deidara...!" Deidara heard, as if through a haze.

"What?" he said drowsily, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Deidara!" came the voice, louder. It was... Sakura...

"DEIDARA!"

He shot up. "What is it? What's going on?" he said.

Sakura grabbed his shoulders, pulling herself up. He felt her warm breath on his throat.

"I'm so... hot..." she said.

Deidara pulled her off him. She was hyperventilating, face red. "What happened?" he said.

"It hurts!" she wailed. "It won't stop hurting... the wound..."

He touched the back of his hand to her large forehead. It was burning up.

"It's... probably just a little infection. You'll be okay." Deidara said.

"But... but it hurts!" Sakura yelled. "Help... help me..."

"I can't!" Deidara said. "Okay, just calm down first!"

"I can't!" Sakura said. "I want to go back to Konoha! Tsunade could have healed me easily... I want to get my life back! And now this... this... it's all your fault!"

_Oh no._

_She's having a panic attack? Now?_

_ What do I do?_

"Stop panicking!" Deidara said. "Breathe!"

Sakura gulped in air and broke into coughing. She clutched at her wound.

Deidara dumped all the food pills from their small plastic bag into his large sack, and put it over her mouth.

She tried to punch him, thinking he was suffocating her-

"Breathe!" he said.

She breathed in and out, the bag swelling with her breaths. He took her in his arms and gently rocked back and forth.

Eventually, her breathing returned to normal. She handed the small bag back to Deidara.

"What happened?" he said.

"S-sorry." she muttered. "I just... went insane. I don't know why, it just hurt like crazy and I felt sick and I was desperate."

"Desperate for what?" he said.

"I don't know." she answered, fiddling with her hair. "Anything. Everything. My friends in Konoha."

"Oh." he said.

He leaned against the slightly raised head of his bird. Sakura rested in his lap, leaning against his chest.

"So you were lonely?"

"Yeah." Sakura said. "Lonely. It happens a lot."

"Why would you be lonely in your village?"

Sakura hesitated. She couldn't believe she was spilling all this to someone... like _him_. But she needed to let it out to someone, anyone...

"There was this guy called Sasuke on my team." Sakura said.

"What, that brother that Itachi keeps talking about? Blech."

"What do you mean, BLECH?" Sakura said, enraged.

"He must be like Itachi. I hate Itachi, un."

"He also hates Itachi."

"I'm suddenly interested. Go on."

Sakura shot him a glare before continuing. "So... he'd always wanted to get revenge on Itachi for killing his clan." she said. "He always wanted to be more powerful that his brother."

"Good for him. Itachi deserves death"

"No, it wasn't good for him! He left Konoha and became a missing-nin!"

"So? Didn't someone replace him on your team, or something?"

"I told him I loved him before he left." Sakura said softly. "And he knocked me out."

"What a kind and loving gesture."

"Stop being sarcastic!"

"Never."

"You're the worst listener on the face of the earth." Sakura groaned.

They were both silent for a little.

"Also, Naruto's been chasing after him."

"Oh. The-"

"Say Jinchuriki and I'll murder you." Sakura snarles.

"What? It's true!"

"But he's more than that. He's not just a Jinchuriki, he's a person! It's not like he chose it, anyhow."

"Sorry." Deidara muttered. "I guess I'm still thinking like an Akatsuki."

"Why did you leave?" Sakura said, turning her face towards his.

"I asked for a raise. They didn't give it to me." he said.

"Come on, be serious!" Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "I told you my story, now you tell me yours!"

Deidara sighed.

"If you can give me three good reasons why I should tell you," he said, "then I will."

"How about one, very good reason?" she said.

"Only if it's VERY good."

"You're going to be stuck with me for a while. I'll nag you until you tell me."

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you!"

"Ha! Yes!" Sakura said.

"I was forced to join Akatsuki after losing a battle with Itachi." he said. "And I decided I would kill him. That's why I always practiced my art so hard."

"And then?" she said. "What changed, huh?"

"Remember the last time you saw me?"

"Yeah... when you kidnapped Gaara." she said, a hint of spite in her voice. "To try to kill him and take the Jinchuriki for yourselves-"

"I'm well aware." Deidara said. "Do you want to hear or not?"

"Yeah, yeah." she mumbled.

"I had a nightmare after that." he said. "A very bad nightmare."

"What was it about?" Sakura said, poking his chest.

"It's a secret."

"C'mon, tell me!"

"No matter how much you nag me about it, Sakura, I will never- EVER- tell you what I dreamt about."

"You're mean. Did anything happen after that?"

"Nope. I just escaped."

"My story is way more interesting than yours."

"Oh, so it's a CONTEST now?"

Sakura sighed, turning her head on his chest. Her hair flopped across him.

"I feel like a mess." Sakura said, smirking. "Haven't done my hair in days on end."

"Oh no!" Deidara said sarcastically. "Not the hair!"

"Shut up!" Sakura said, giggling accidentally.

_WHY DID I JUST GIGGLE?_

"No, but really. You look fine." Deidara said.

"Th-thanks." Sakura said, blushing.

"We should get some sleep." he said, turning over and wrapping his arms around her slim waist. He was careful not to put pressure on the wound.

Sakura, instead of having her back to him like usual, turned over. Deidara's eyes opened.

They stared into each other's eyes for a while, hearing the cicadas around them buzz merrily. Neither of them broke the gaze. They just stared, acknowledging each other's existence.

Deidara slowly lifted his hand and slid it around the back of her head, putting it against his chest. His arms closed around her.

"No more staring." he teased drowsily. "Go to sleep."

Sakura smiled and closed her eyes. She felt... comfortable.

Safe, even. It was unsettling... yet at the same time, a wonderful feeling. A feeling that no matter how much she probed, she couldn't comprehend.

"Why?" she whispered into the afternoon wind.

The leaves rustled.

Feeling self-conscious, Sakura closed her eyes and slept.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hello, wonderful beautiful readers that will live on forever in my memory as the best people that this otherwise dark and sad world has to offer!**

**...I have news! :3**

**I have gone back and edited all the chapters up to this one, because the amazing YumiDoesTheMacarena has told me that I should group the sentences more, make the story more 'fleshed out'! SO I HAS DONE IT. Which is odd for me, because I'm usually quite a lazy little weasel- but I'm giving this fanfic my ALL and I want to write this to the best of my abilities!**

**Aaaanyway... enjoy! :D**

Chapter Six

When Sakura opened her eyes, it was night. She heard Deidara's soft breathing behind her, still asleep.

Sakura slowly turned her head up, lifting her eyes towards the stars. A full moon hung between the clouds, shedding pearl moonlight over the forest.

Deidara felt her head move, and his eyes sprang open. "Sakura?" he said.

"Look." she said, pointing towards the sky. "There's a full moon tonight."

He looked up. "Well, no wonder we can see in the dark." he said, sitting.

Sakura sat up too, smoothing her hair down. She looked up at the moon, feeling horribly small.

"Come on." Deidara said. "We've slept enough. Let's go, un."

"Fine." Sakura said.

The bird they'd been sleeping on ascended... and then slowly came down again.

"Okay... we're walking, then!" Deidara muttered, getting off the bird.

Sakura got off behind him. They left the bird and walked through the forest.

Crickets chirped all around them, melodies harmonizing before rising towards the night sky.

Sakura folded her uncovered arms, trying to protect herself from the cold. "Do you have an extra shirt or something?" she said. "I'm freezing!"

"Wait, but where's your old sh- oh, yeah. Yesterday."

"Who knows if it was even yesterday?" Sakura said, putting her hands behind her head. "Would it count as the day before yesterday, or today? My schedule is totally messed up."

"Hey, you're saying that like it's MY fault!"

"Never said it wasn't!"

Deidara grumbled to himself and turned to her. "Stop being so whiny." he said. "It bothers me."

"_You_ bother me." Sakura muttered under her breath.

He shot a glance at her, trudging through the fallen leaves on the ground.

_I'm lonely again._

_ She's stopped snapping violently at me._

_ I almost miss it._

Sakura's eyes flickered towards him suspiciously. _He's thinking of something, _she thought. _I know he's planning something._

Deidara felt an overwhelming urge to make her angry, just to see her reaction. He walked closer and closer to her, and his hand crept onto her side...

"Whoa!" she said, turning. "What do you think you're-?"

Deidara let a tongue flick out of his hand-mouth.

"Gross! You're disgusting!" she yelled at him angrily, slapping his hand away.

"Hmph." Deidara said, rolling his eyes. "I thought you'd like it, after that dream you had the other day."

"You...!" Sakura hissed, hands curling into fists, one eye twitching. "I'll murder you!"

"What? It seemed like you were having a good time." Deidara said, the corners of his lips twitching up.

Her fist flew at his shoulder, but he easily caught her wrist.

"Okay, are you- are you TRYING to make me mad at you?" she yelled.

"Possibly." Deidara said. "Remember, _you_ were the one that tried to punch me in the first place, yes?"

"Only after SOMEONE licked my side!" Sakura yelled.

He held up his hands and mockingly stuck out all three of his visible tongues at once.

"Get those things away from me!" she said angrily, pushing his arms away. "Stop being gross!"

Deidara turned to her and tripped her, making her fall into his arms. She squealed as she felt something tickle her sides.

"Stop it!" she half-laughed, half-shouted. "Ah, that tickles! Stop, Deidara!"

They fell to the ground, Sakura positively shrieking with laughter.

"Fine, fine." Deidara said, getting off her.

Once she was up, Sakura kicked him in the leg.

"What? Am I... _bothering _you?" he said.

"Actually, yes! Yes you are!" Sakura snapped at him.

T_his is better._ Deidara thought, chuckling. _This is fun. I can live with this._

But deep inside him, he felt a vast vacuum opening.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They walked all day, feet crunching through the accumulating layers of leaves beneath them.

Eventually, the sun came up. Their moods lifted a little with the it, and they talked more than usual. Boring things, simple things. The weather. Favorite colors, favorite foods. Past experiences.

Not once did they catch a glimpse of Hidan, or Kakuzu.

Hours passed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura yawned. "Is it time to sleep yet?" she mumbled.

Deidara looked up. The darkening sky stared back down at him. "Huh." he said. "That's funny. It's almost night again."

"Good enough." she muttered, cuffing him on the arm.

"Fine." he said. He whipped a blanket out of his sack and spread out on the floor. "But we're waking up early tomorrow, okay?"

"Ugh, fine!" Sakura said, curling up immediately. "Good night."

Deidara lay down behind her, arms encircling her waist. The sky continued to grow dark, the moon becoming visible.

_It feels wrong,_ he thought.

What felt wrong?

Everything. Everything he'd ever done, everything he was doing, felt wrong. There was a gap inside him. An emptiness. A lonely feeling, so thick and heavy he could almost touch its strong surface with his hand.

He didn't like it.

Deidara closed his eyes. Sakura's body felt warm and snug against his like a blanket, a few strands of hair wafting onto his face.

He sighed deeply, dozing off...

And stepping right into a brokenhearted nightmare.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Deidara opened his eyes. He stood in a cave, the cave that they'd kept Gaara in... on that mission...

_Why am I here?_ he thought, dazed. "Hello?" he called. "Hello, un?"

No one answered.

"All right!" he yelled, reaching for his clay pouch. "I'm armed, and I'll just blow this place up if-!"

His hand dove right past the place where his pouch usually was.

_Huh? _he thought, realizing that there was nothing there.

Deidara looked around. All the exits were blocked. Suddenly, his mind was flooded with the memories of that mission... swarming into his brain like frantic bees...

"No!" he growled, shaking his head. "Who's there? How're you messing with my mind?"

"I'm not messing with your head, Deidara."

He whirled, preparing to face his enemy-

"The only person messing with your head," the perfect copy of him floating above him on a bird said, "Is you."

"What the hell?" Deidara said, muscles locked into a fighting position. "Who're you?"

"What an idiotic question." the other him scoffed. "I _am_ you."

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Deidara's head. "So?" he said. "What do you want, huh?"

"I? Nothing." the other him said. "I... you, rather... just thought it was time for a little reality check. Yes?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop hiding from it."

"Hiding? Who said I was... _hiding_ from anyone?" Deidara said, enraged

The other him ignored the comment, the bird he was on smoothly dropping until it was just barely floating above the floor. "It's a funny feeling, isn't it?" he said.

Deidara glared at him, unresponsive.

The copy chuckled... and vanished.

"So what's it like... being alone?" his voice echoed around the dark cave.

"What?" Deidara said.

Suddenly, a voice whispered in his ear. "You're alone. So, how does it feel?"

Deidara whirled. A laugh from behind him now. When he turned again, the other him was on his bird again.

"What do you mean, alone?" Deidara said, confused. "I don't care about... loneliness!"

"The hesitation in your voice suggest otherwise." the other him said. "You've got NOTHING, Deidara- no friends. No peace. No life."

"I have all I could EVER want!" Deidara shouted, his voice rising. "Who're you, to tell me what I have, un?"

But Deidara could taste the lie on his own lips, tainting his tongue.

"Oh, REALLY?" the other him yelled gleefully, face ripping into a hideous smile. "Then what DO you have?"

"I have... I have my art!" he answered, realizing how hollow it sounded.

"Your ART?" the other him laughed. "You're going to have to do a whole lot better than that. Art is a hobby, not an excuse to keep living your pathetic life-!"

Deidara's hands balled into fists. "I HAVE SAKURA!" he shouted.

"You... HAVE Sakura?" his copy cackled, voice face twisting into a wide, maniacal grin. "Sure, you HAVE her- trapped with you forever! If she had the chance, she'd run away immediately, maybe even KILL YOU while she's at it!"

"SHUT UP!" Deidara shouted, falling to his knees. His fingers curled like dying leaves.

"You're ALONE!" the other him yelled. "Might as well just kill yourself- no one would miss you when you're gone! You're WORTHLESS! YOU-"

Warping... the cave was fading away, defeat ringing in his ears. Darkness setting in... a dream?

And then, like a fist, the loneliness slammed into him. The feeling isolation knocked the air out of his gasping lungs. It crushed him-

He slammed back into his mind. Reality-

And that's how he woke up. Gasping, his body sticky with perspiration.

He sat up and turned, looking down at Sakura's sleeping form. Adrenaline coursed through his mind, making his hands shake.

What had that dream been?

But Deidara knew the answer.

True.

That dream... had been true. No matter how good he got at art, or how many people he kidnapped... he would always, forever, be inevitably alone. Deidara laid back down, carefully turning Sakura around so she was facing him. He encased her in his arms, pushing her head into his chest, and lay trembling and sleepless for the rest of the night.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Okay, here you go- chapter seven! WHOA- REALLY LONG CHAPTER. I'm sorry about the story moving a little slowly, but it'll pick up a little once the Akatsuki are thrown back into the mix- I promise!**

**Anyway, for all you fluff-lovers... THIS CHAPTER HERE IS FOR YOU XD**

**Oh, how I love the pervy old lady~ anyway... enjoy! :3**

Chapter Seven

Sakura woke up facing him, forehead on his chest. Her eyes widened. She slowly counted to one... two... three... and looked up.

Deidara looked down at her, brilliant blue eyes tired.

"What were you doing all night?" she said suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

"Nothing bad, I swear!" he scoffed, releasing her from his embrace and sitting up. "Just... couldn't sleep."

"Hmph." Sakura said, standing up. "So? Where are you going to drag me today?"

Deidara stood up. "Don't be rude, un." he said, going to his bird and beckoning to her.

"I don't see any reason not to." Sakura muttered as he helped her up.

The bird lifted its clay wings and took off, into the air.

Deidara was looking at his map. "Well," he said, rolling it up again, "We're going to stay at a village today."

"What?" Sakura said. "Which one?"

"A small one. What do you think would happen if I even did so much as take one step into a large village?"

"I would be free." she responded sullenly. "I was hoping that you'd be too stupid to overlook that."

"Sorry to disappoint." Deidara said, one side of his mouth turning up in a crooked smile.

"So." Sakura said, "Why didn't you go to sleep?"

"Dream."

"Dream?"

"Nightmare."

Sakura paused for a second, thinking. "Was it the same one you told me about a few days ago?"

"No!" he answered, glancing at her. "And I won't tell you about either one, if that's what you're planning to ask."

"You're no fun." Sakura said, looking over the side of the bird.

"It's not my goal to be."

Sakura looked at his turned back.

"You're getting me a new shirt while we're there."

"What? Where?"

"The village."

"No, I'm not!" Deidara said.

"You ruined my old one, and therefore, it is your fault. You owe me!"

"I don't owe you anything, un." Deidara muttered.

"I'll take that as a yes."

A heavy wind blew over them. The multicolored leaves of the carpet of trees below them rustled in a fury of colors.

It picked up Deidara's hair, blowing his fringe out of his face.

"That's funny." Sakura said. "I'd almost forgotten that you had two eyes."

"Ha." Deidara said dryly. "Hilarious."

"You're no fun, AND you have no sense of humor. Great."

"I have a perfectly good sense of humor!" he said indignantly, whipping his head around.

"Mmm. Just keep telling yourself that." Sakura said, smirking.

"Okay, fine! Maybe I will!" Deidara said, turning away.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Hey, I'm bored." Sakura said, pulling on his sleeve. "Give me something to DO."

"Have some clay." he said, pulling some out of the bird and tossing it at her.

She caught it in her hands.

"Clay." she muttered. "Of course."

Sakura looked down and started shaping it.

Deidara's eyes flickered towards her, then back at the front of the bird. Then, towards her again.

Finally, he sighed, turning around.. "You're doing it all wrong!" he said. "Here, let me show you."

He expertly rolled the clay into a sphere.

"You start with a circle." he said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"No, move the wing up a little!" Sakura said, leaning forward.

"Fine. But then we have to shift this part down." Deidara responded, fixing it.

"I don't care." she said. "There, now make the head looking up."

"Why? It looks fine looking down." he said, rolling his eyes.

"No, it looks sad!" she said, cuffing him on the shoulder. "Put the head up."

"Fine, un! Sheesh." Deidara said, angling the tiny head up.

"There." Sakura said, smiling. "Now, it's perfect."

A small bird rested in Deidara's hand, beak open with intricate swirls all over.

"Now what?" he said.

"Make it fly!" she said. "Make it fly!"

"I'm not your slave." Deidara grumbled, but he tossed it up and it caught its wings on the air.

Sakura sat back and drew her knees up to her chest, watching it fly around.

"Hey." he said. "We're close to the village."

Sakura stood up as the bird started to go down.

When it landed, she walked off and gazed towards the forest.

Deidara, checking first if she was looking, summoned the bird to his open hands and put it in his bag.

He wasn't sure why, though. "Let's go." he said. "We're walking from here."

She turned and followed him through the trees.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I don't like it." Sakura grumbled, looking at herself in the mirror.

"What?" Deidara groaned. "But it looks exactly the same as your old one! How is that even possible?"

"Well, first of all, it has an oval on the back." she said, turning and looking at herself over her shoulder. "I'm used to a circle."

"You're insane." he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And that's not even the worst part!" she said. "The zipper only goes down halfway. Why'd they even put a zipper there, if you can't take it off by pulling it all the way down?"

"You're impossible."

"And you, Deidara, have no fashion sense."

"I do too!" he said, exasperated. "You look fine!"

"It's also a bit too tight for my tastes..." Sakura said, looking back at the mirror and pulling at it.

"So you don't like the shirt?"

"Of course I love the shirt, it's almost just like my old one. I just like messing with you."

She took it off, folded it, and walked to the counter with a satisfied look on her face.

Deidara's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. He felt a frustrated twitch go through his eye as he walked after her.

"This girl," he said, "Is going to be the death of me."

"I can hear what you're saying, you know." Sakura said, raising an eyebrow at him as she laid the shirt on the checkout counter.

They'd arrived at the small village at around noon. Buying sandwiches, they'd gone around looking for an inn, or any kind of housing for that matter.

They'd eventually stopped at a small store, looking for clothes.

"You're not going to get anything?" Sakura said, eyeing Deidara's combination of mesh and coarse cloth that passed as a shirt.

"What's wrong with my shirt?" he said, insulted.

"If you could even call it that."

He glowered at her, face burning.

The minute they walked out, she slipped the new shirt over her head and tossed the bag in the trash.

"I saw a small inn on the way here." Deidara said. "Let's go."

They walked through the small village.

"You know what's funny?" Sakura said. "No one here's wearing village headbands. Or army clothes at all."

"They're all gonna die if an Akatsuki does so much as pass over this dump."

"Don't be such an idiot!" she said angrily. "Don't you know what this means? These people have no wars."

"Whoopee."

"What? Don't tell me you like wars."

"Well, no, but-"

"No buts. The end."

Deidara grumbled to himself under his breath. "Hey, there it is!"

It had a simple sign over the inn, reading "Inn". They walked in, the bell over the door tinkling softly.

There were lots of people sitting around in what seemed like the main part of the lobby, chatting in chairs and sofas. A bar was in the corner, and a man stood behind it, polishing a glass.

They walked up to a desk. An old woman turned around, smiling a wrinkled-paper smile.

"Hello!" she said. "Would you like to stay at the inn?"

"Yeah." Deidara said. "One room, two beds, please."

The old woman peeked over at Sakura. "Wait- you mean one room, ONE bed, right?"

"What? No." he said patiently. "One room with two beds."

The woman frowned. "No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"No, you're going to stay in one room with one bed." she said, smiling kindly.

"What? No we aren't." Deidara said, baffled. "Two beds. One plus one. One, two. Got it?"

"But you're travelling with her, aren't you?" the elderly woman said, gesturing towards Sakura.

"Yeah." Deidara. "So?"

"See?" the woman said, clasping her hands. "One bed!"

"No!" Deidara said. "Two, I said two!"

"In a 'one bed' kind of way, right?" the woman said, waggling her bushy eyebrows.

Deidara opened his mouth to curse at her, but then Sakura sidled up beside him.

"Excuse me," she said, "But me and my _brother_ want two different beds."

"Wait, you're siblings?" the woman said sadly. "Oh. Whoops."

Deidara made a mental note to thank Sakura later. "Anyway, how much is the total cost of-"

"Wait." the woman said, ancient eyes crinkling. "I don't see a resemblance!"

"I'm adopted." Sakura said quickly.

"Ah, then one bed!" the woman said, smiling widely.

"YOU," Deidara shouted, slamming his palm into the top of the desk, "Are a DISGUSTING OLD CRONE!"

"Calm down!" Sakura said. "Okay, are there any couches in the rooms? Anything?"

"Yes." the old woman said. "But only in the rooms with two or more beds!"

Deidara slapped his hand over his face

Sakura sighed. "Then we'll just take the..."

She trailed off. She'd just realized something.

Sakura was standing next to her captor...

In a crowded room full of people.

Her eyes widened.

And then she tore away from Deidara, running and skidding to a stop in the center of the room.

Everyone turned to her, confused. There was a deep silence, a pause.

She drew in a breath.

Deidara's eyes widened, and he whirled...

"Help!" she yelled, pointing at Deidara. "That man kidnapped me from my village!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was a long, drawn out silence. All of a sudden, a man slid off his chair, standing up.

_Yes! _Sakura thought triumphantly.

"Sakura," Deidara said loudly. "Did you take your medicine this morning?"

"What?" Sakura said. "I don't have a medicine! What are you talking about?"

"See, this is what happens when you don't take your medicine." Deidara said, rolling his eyes and walking up to her. "You start hallucinating."

She suddenly realized what he was trying to do... and panicked.

"No, really!" she yelled. "Everyone, please! He kidnapped me- from Konoha- and he's been dragging me around on his birds and the Akatsuki are after us and-"

The man that has stood up sat down again. Someone chuckled.

"I'm deeply sorry for my sister's behaviour." Deidara said apologetically, grabbing her by the back of her collar. "She can be quite delusional without her medicine."

"NO!" Sakura howled, seeing her only chance at freedom slipping away. She felt him grab her wrists, twisting them behind her back. "HE'S LYING! Please, everyone, listen to me-!"

Something skittered down her back. She froze.

"Sakura." Deidara hissed, just loud enough so that she could hear. "Right now, there's a clay spider crawling down your back. Act normal, or I'll blow you up."

Sakura swallowed, her throat dry.

"I'm sorry." she apologized stiffy, voice trembling. "I don't know what came over me."

Deidara paid the woman at the desk and walked towards their room. Sakura followed.

She heard everyone's voices fading away behind them, her golden chance shattered. Tears pooled in her eyes.

They moved towards the room.

Sakura felt like pulling away from it, bolting through the lobby and out the door. A dread filled her, making her stomach turn.

Deidara opened the door and slammed it shut, pushing Sakura onto the bed.

She fell onto it and sat up, opening her mouth to speak-

But when she saw his flashing, furious eyes, she closed her mouth. Instead, she sat on the edge of the bed, hands tightly clasped in her lap. The color was slowly draining from her face.

Deidara stood in front of her, crossing his arms. "So." he said. "You thought you could escape, did you?"

"Get it out." Sakura whispered.

"What are you talking about."

"The spider. Please get it out."

It crawled out of her shirt and flew into his hand. He crushed it and stood in silence for a little.

"Why did you do that?" he said.

"Well, you can't BLAME me, can you?" Sakura yelled, her vision swimming with salty tears. "All I want is for you to leave me alone! That's all I ever wanted! I hate you!"

"I don't care." Deidara said. "Do you even remember who I am? I'm not your friend, not your brother. The only reason you're not rotting away in the forest near Konoha is that I decided I could use you- don't you forget it."

Sakura's tears spilled over, onto her cheeks.

"SHUT UP!" she yelled. "I... I hope the Akatsuki catch up with us!"

"Oh, do you, un?" Deidara said. His voice was silky, yet low and dangerous.

"Y-yeah!" Sakura said. "And- and I hope that they kill us both, because I'd rather-!"

Deidara's eyes flared, and he pushed her hard. She fell onto the bed and he held her down by her neck.

"No one," he growled, "Is going to kill me. And if anyone kills you, it's going to be me."

_This is it._ Sakura thought. _He's going to kill me. Right now. _

"You do realize that I'm going to have to punish you, don't you?" Deidara hissed.

"No!" Sakura cried. "But... you said you wouldn't hurt me! You promised!"

He drew his long knife, ignoring her. She gasped, trying to calm her shaking hands, as Deidara pressed the edge into her neck.

And then... he sighed. "Do you think you've learned your lesson?"

Sakura managed to nod, eyes wide.

"Good." he said, withdrawing his knife and sliding it back into his belt.

There was a silence as he turned away.

Sakura was still frozen. "What?"

Deidara didn't answer, just stopped walking, facing away from her.

She didn't see his face, broken, with eyes boring agonized holes into the wall in front of him.

Sakura cautiously sat up, watching him for a reaction. He did nothing, only stood there. "I don't understand." A pause. "Why do you do this to me? Why do you play with my fear, toy with my emotions?" When he didn't answer, she started getting angry. "Answer me!"

Deidara ran his hand through his hair. "I don't need to answer anything. You're just a prisoner."

"That's what you always say!" Sakura said, voice starting to rise. "I'm your prisoner. But there's more to it, I know there is. Something's eating at you, something you really don't want to tell me."

Deidara rolled his eyes, turning around. "There's nothing wr-"

But when he turned around, she wasn't on the bed anymore, she was in front of him. And her pale, slender hands reached up, curling around his shoulders as she pulled herself up to him.

He stumbled back against the wall.

"I don't understand you very well, but you... YOU couldn't understand me less!" Sakura yelled furiously. "Do you know how it feels, to know that you could kill me whenever you want to? Even for wanting to be free? DO YOU?"

While she spoke, she shook him, perhaps trying to shake a sliver of sympathy, a piece of humanity from his mind, so he would release her, or anything... but no, his face stayed as passive as always, if a little surprised. Instincts, blind and useless, took over Sakura's mind, and she pulled away and bolted towards the door.

In one stride, maybe two, Deidara had crossed the distance she'd run. Arms, like steel, slammed her back into him. But she managed to grab onto the doorknob, and shake it furiously like a key in a lock.

And then she was dragged back, and it was pulled from her grasp as Deidara stumbled back. Her legs thrashed wildly, one shoe flying off. Then, she tried to kick backwards- but suddenly, there was nothing behind her.

The surface of the bed rose to meet her. He threw her onto it, face down.

Her arms were suddenly twisted behind her, and she felt one strong arm holding down her legs.

"You're strong, you know that?" he said, panting. "I usually have no problem catching people. It's a nice change, actually."

"Stop."

"Stop what?

"Please..." she breathed.

"Please? Please what, un?"

And then, all of a sudden, Sakura wrenched herself out of his strong grip, sitting up and throwing her arms around him.

Deidara didn't understand it any better than she did- but then he did understand, if only for just a fleeting moment, and so he sat on the bed and hugged her back.

She buried her head into his chest, her now freely flowng tears slipping onto his shirt. He looked down at the top of her head in a strange sort of wonder.

Sunlight streamed in through the moth-eaten curtains on the room, falling across the dilapidated floor, the bed, and the two embracing people on it.

"I'm sorry, that was stupid." Sakura whispered shamefully, watery streaks already leaking from the corners of her eyes. "I was just a little bit..."

"A little bit what?"

Sakura looked down, embarrased. "Lonely."

Deidara paused for a second. "I know the feeling." he finally said to her.

She looked up, surprised, about to answer- but suddenly. two knocks on the door shattered the quiet.

"Yeah?" Deidara said, sitting up straight.

"Dinner's being served at the bar in about ten minutes!" a nasal female voice called from the other side of the thin door.

"Oh." he said. "Uh... sure, un."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the voice said, sounding like an un-tuned violin.

"What're you talking about?" he said back, bewildered.

"What's an 'un'?"

Sakura snickered, cupping a hand over her smile.

He shot a glare at her before answering.

"Nothing. We'll be down in ten minutes!"

"Eh." the voice said, and footsteps sounded, slowly fading away. They heard her distant voice screech at another guest.

"That speech problem of yours is hilarious." Sakura said, grinning. "There're just... endless jokes to be made about it.

"It's not a 'problem'!" Deidara said, annoyed. "It's something I picked up. From my mom."

_Parents. _she thought.

"You have parents." Sakura said. "You have parents!"

"No, I was born out of thin air."

Sakura rolled her eyes and crawled into his lap. He turned away, his cheeks coloring a little.

"Come on, be serious." she said, lightly pulling at his arm. "Where are your parents?"

"To be honest... I don't know." Deidara said. "I left them and my village when I became too caught up in myself. And my art."

"Would you say that you went out with a 'bang'?"

"That... that was _terrible._ I'm sorry, but it seriously and honestly just... WAS."

"So what if I can't make good jokes?" Sakura scoffed. "Anyway, do you think... that they're still alive?"

"Why wouldn't they be, un?" Deidara muttered.

She shrugged in response.

"Hey, what about your parents?" he said, playing with her hair.

She watched him coil a strand around his index finger. "Well... they're kind of mad at me, because they didn't want me to become a ninja. They're, like, pacifists."

Deidara chuckled.

"I know that it's an alien concept to someone like you, pacifism." Sakura said, pursing her lips.

"Correct." he answered lightly. "Hey, I think it's been ten minutes."

Sakura reluctantly withdrew from his arms and stood.

Deidara opened the door for her, and they both walked out, going downstairs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The old lady grinned at them from across the wooden counter.

"Oh no." Deidara grumbled. "Not you again."

"Be nice!" Sakura hissed, elbowing him. He huffed.

"So that'll be two orders of ramen, yes?" the old lady said, smiling kindly. They nodded. "Would you like any alcoholic beverages with that?"

Deidara opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura cut him off. "No."

"That's what I was going to say." Deidara muttered dejectedly.

"Are you sure?" the elderly woman said. "I did sell you a room with one bed today..."

"You're disgusting!" he shouted at her, head jerking up.

"What he means to say is that we really, really, don't want any alcoholic beverages." Sakura said. "Can we get our ramen now?"

The lady looked at them smugly and turned, bustling away.

"I'm surprised she didn't nag more." Deidara said. "This is... suspicious."

They waited a little. Finally, the old woman came back from the kitchen with two plates.

"Enjoy!" she said, turning-

"Wait a minute." Deidara called. "Did you put anything... extra... in our plates?"

The old woman smirked, shuffling up to the counter. She took a pair of chopsticks from her apron and speared a noodle, lifting it up to her mouth and eating it.

"Satisfied?" she said mockingly.

Deidara glowered at her. "Did you put alcohol in the ramen?"

"Me?" the lady said innocently. "Why, of course not!"

"I want you to call the person who made this, so he himself can tell us."

She rolled her eyes, but called. "Hey! Who made the ramen for order number seven?" A head peeked out from the kitchen. "Did you put alcohol in it?" she said. The man shook his head and ducked it back into the kitchen. "See?" she said, turning back to the two. "Now, enjoy!"

And with that, she left. The door of the kitchen swung shut behind her.

"Are you order number seven?" Sakura said, raising an eyebrow.

Deidara checked the slip of paper he'd been given. "Yeah."

"Then let's get to a table and eat!" she said. "I'm starving."

They took their plates to a small, round table by a window. Fallen autumn leaves chased each other around behind it, swirling around one another.

"So." Sakura said, feeling awkward. "You said that you left your village because you got to caught up in your art... and I was wondering..."

"Yeah?" Deidara said, once he'd swallowed his food.

She played with her noodles, finally breaking off a tiny rope and eating it. "Do you still... like art?"

"I guess..." he responded. "But... less. In a different way."

"How so?" she said, leaning back and crossing her legs.

"It's just that one day, I realized that art was my life. But... it isn't supposed to be."

"Mmm?"

"Yeah." Deidara said, eyes distant. "Because it's a hollow thing. Art is fleeting, but life is long. You can't build something long out of several small bits. You can't make a window out of assorted shards."

"So?" Sakura said, wiping her lips with a napkin. "Do you have a goal now?"

_To be loved._

"To live." he lied. "Nothing more. Become a terrorist for hire, like I was before."

"But don't you want something more?" Sakura said, exasperated. "Something bigger than that? What do you _want_?"

_I want you to love me, and stay with me forever, because you're the only one who really seems to understand me._

"No."

"Return to some long-lost love in Iwa?"

_The only one I ever want to love is you. I dated when I was younger, but I never really felt a connection with any of them._

"Of course not!" he said, content that he'd said the truth at least once.

"All right, if you say so..." Sakura said, leaning over her plate. "But I think that's really shallow."

"Oh really?" Deidara said, watching her eat. "What's your goal, then?"

"Well, my life's been... interrupted." she said crossly. "But before that, I wanted to get Sasuke back."

"Into jail?"

"No, you idiot- back to the village! With us!"

Deidara was suddenly pensive. He leaned forward a little, hesitating. "What, is that... possible?"

"What, getting him back?" Sakura said. "Well, there's always hope, so-"

"No, that's not what I meant." he interrupted. "Going back to a village, just like that."

An odd expression started creeping up into her face, and he sighed. "No, I don't want to go back. I'm just curious."

"Oh." Sakura said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Well... if the village leader says so, then... yeah."

"Hmph." Deidara said.

They ate in silence for a little while.

"Hey... where do you think those Akatsuki that were chasing us went?"

"Kakuzu and Hidan?" he said. "No idea. They're probably lying in wait somewhere."

"We'll have to face them sooner or later, won't we?" Sakura said quietly, finishing off the last of her ramen.

Deidara didn't answer.

"Well, I'm done." Sakura said, standing up. "Let's... whoa..." she stumbled, eyes fluttering.

"Hey!" Deidara said, quickly standing up and steadying her. "What's wrong?"

"Just dizzy for a second there." she said. "Probably just tired."

"Are you quite sure about that?" he said.

"Yeah, what else would it be?"

"Nothing."

Sakura tried to straighten up, but tipped over again. Deidara grabbed her arm, and she leaned against him.

"I feel tired." she said, and yawned.

"Well, we're going to sleep soon, okay?" he said. "Now, just walk."

They walked to their room, and Sakura fumbled for the room key in her pocket.

"Uh... I have the key, remember?" Deidara said, holding up the small metal room key.

"Oh." Sakura said. "That... that was a mistake."

"Yes, yes it was." he said, opening the door. "Sakura, I think that the nasty, perverted old woman put alcohol in your food."

"What?" she said. "That's im... imPOSSible!"

"Yeah, she definitely did." Deidara said. "And... wait! She only asked about my order, not yours! She never asked if yours had alcohol!"

"My what?"

"Your order, un!"

"What order...?"

"Your FOOD. That you ATE."

"Why... why would I go and... do something like that?" she drawled. "Eat... eat food?"

"Wow, you're... you're REALLY drunk." Deidara said. "Come on, you can actually change clothes this time, into that nightgown we got in the morning. Aren't you tired?"

"Oh, yeah." Sakura said. And, that said, she took her shirt off.

"Um... Sakura?"

She started to take her undershirt off.

"Sakura, I'm still right here!"

"So?"

"You're undressing, and I'm RIGHT HERE."

"Oh. Well... go wait. In the... the... what was it called...?"

"Bathroom?"

"Yeah."

"I can't- you'll escape."

"Oh. Okay." she said, trying to get her undershirt off again.

He sighed and grabbed her wrists. "No, you go change in the bathroom."

"The... bathroom?"

"Yes. It's right there."

"What's right there?"

"THE FREAKIN' BATHROOM!"

"The... the bathroom?"

"Okay, never mind." Deidara said. "Just... come to sleep."

She just stood there, so he picked her shirt up off the floor and pulled it over her head. Then, he took her arm and led her to the bed.

She crawled on and curled up. He curled up opposite her.

She slowly lifted her head up, facing him.

"Deidara..." she whispered.

"Go to sleep." he said. "We're going to wake up early tomorrow and leave, un."

"Deidara, I..."

"You're drunk. Don't say anything you'll regret later, when I can make fun of you forever for it."

Sakura paused, her chest going up and down as she breathed. "I want to go home." she said finally, close to tears. "I don't like this strange, oustide world, with its small inns with strange people and wide forests with people trying to kill us. I want to go home, where it's safe... and-"

"Shhh." Deidara said, pressing his index finger into her lips. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat, blinking the tears out of her eyes.

"No." she said, shaking his hand off with a quick pull of her head. "I want to be at home, where I'm with my friends. And safe..."

"You're safe with me!" he said suddenly, not realizing what he'd said until the words had tumbled awkwardly from his lips. "Because I'll... I'll protect you."

"No you won't." she wailed softly. "You always threaten me, and-"

"You're safe with me, okay? Now stop saying stupid things."

"I'm not safe with you! Sometimes, I'm not sure if you're about to kill me! How's that safe?"

"I say stupid things sometimes," Deidara said, reaching out for her and lightly laying his hand on her flushed cheek. "But... I really... do... care."

He choked out the last words, as if it pained him to say them.

"You... care?" Sakura said, suddenly curious. Her eyes, wide and sad, searched his face.

They stared at each other for a few moments.

"Go to sleep." he answered, turning away from her. She stared at his back. "We're going to wake up early-"

And then he felt her snuggle up behind him, sliding her arms around his waist.

He froze, head buzzing. The place her hands met over his stomach tingled, tingled as if it were melting.

Sakura didn't understand what she was doing, didn't comprehend what her arms were doing around the person she was supposed to hate the most in the world. But there they were, and she'd been the one to put them there.

And it felt good.

Because...

Because while she didn't understand him or his ways, and the words that he spoke were often harsh... there was something heavy growing in her. A thing she couldn't control.

Something she didn't want to admit to herself. Never! Impossible!

But it was.

Deidara turned back around to face and held her close, and they fell asleep in each others arms.

And finally, just barely... their feelings started to fall into sync with each other.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: I deleted a chunk of chapter four because I thought it was stupid on hindsight! XD Anyway... since you all liked the pervy old lady so much... I have another creepy character that I sometimes use in my fanfictions. His name is Milton Wernie and he's short, fat, bald, and likes squealing and the color pink! Would you like to see some of him too? :3 LOL ANYWAY... ENJOY! REVIEW!**

Chapter Eight

The first thing she felt was a dull sort of pounding, resonating throughout her head.

"Oh..." she groaned, the hammering in her brain growing stronger still. She laid her hand on her forehead, trying to remember what'd happened. Dinner... drunkedness... and then-

Deidara... what he'd said...

_I... really... do... care..._

"Hey. Drunk girl." she heard, and turned. He was peeking out of the bathroom, shirtless. "I took a shower while you were out, un."

"My head." Sakura moaned, rubbing her temples. "My head..."

He rolled his eyes, smirking, and stepped out of the bathroom. Steam wafted into the room behind him, and he slipped his shirt on. "Take a shower, I don't know when our next chance to will be."

"Fine." she said. "Oh, but my head hurts so bad... what... what _happened_ last night?"

He snickered.

"What?" she said angrily. "What's so funny?"

"You're interesting when you're drunk."

"Well, it's your fault for not asking that creepy lady about the alcoholic content of MY food!"

Deidara shrugged. "Eh."

Sakura sat up, blinking blearily at him. Her legs dangled off the side of the bed. "Why are you always up before me, anyway?"

His eyes flickered down, and he shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" Sakura said, twisting the bedcovers around one finger. "You're always awake when I get up. Explain."

Deidara sighed, rolling his eyes. "It's a... thing."

"What kind of a thing?" she said, getting up and walking towards him.

His hand brushed past her bare arm as she approached. He leaned down, face serious. "It's because of..."

Suddenly, he grabbed her arm, and she yelped as he pushed her into the bathroom and slammed the door.

"Hey!" she yelled, whirling and banging on the door. "What're you doing? Let me out!"

"Not until you take your shower!" she heard him say, clearly laughing

_That little...!_

"You can't avoid telling me this stuff forever!" she yelled through the door. "I'll get it out of you eventually, nag you until the end of time-!"

"Yeah, yeah." he said. "Now take your shower."

Sakura, now grumbling under her breath, turned the shower on.

Deidara, leaning against the door, crouched and peeked through the keyhole. A sinister smile spread across his face.

She slipped out of her clothes, feeling self-conscious, and looked around for a second before stepping into the shower. Deidara sighed dejectedly once she was out of sight, looking away. He straightened up again and took a small ball of clay from his pocket, fiddling with it.

After a while, he finally heard the shower turn off. Immediately, he pocketed the clay and crouched, pressing his face against the door again.

She peeked out of the shower and stepped out, looking around for a towel. Her eyes found it and she took it, quickly drying herself off and slipping her clothes back on.

When she opened the door, brushing her hair, he was standing innocently by the door, waiting. "Are you done?" he said.

"Yeah, just about." she said, setting the brush down. She walked back to the mirror and leaned forward, taking a last look at herself and fluffing her hair. She caught of glimpse of Deidara rolling his eyes behind her, and she glared at his reflection in the mirror.

"Let's go." Deidara said. "Come on!"

Sakura sighed and followed him as he pulled his sack over his shoulder, starting towards the door.

"Wait." She suddenly stopped, blocking the door off with her arm.

He stopped, mildly surprised, and looked down at her. Sakura slowly lowered her arm, glancing towards the floor by her feet.

"Well..." she said. "About what you said last night..." she saw him stiffen, looking away, and she rubbed her shoulder self-consciously. "What did you mean, you know, when you said- that- you really did care?"

Deidara shifted to his right foot awkwardly. "Something. It meant something, un."

"That's not descriptive enough!" she whined, lightly shaking his shoulder. "Why won't you tell me anything? What are you afraid of?"

"It's not about being afraid." he muttered.

"Embarrassed, maybe?" Sakura said "If it's embarrassing for you to explain, then why did you say it in the first place?"

"No, it's neither of those!" Deidara said, turning away. His face burned, red from his cheeks to the tops of his ears.

"Then what?"

_If only I knew..._

"It meant nothing, nothing at all!" he yelled, face twisting with frustration. "I don't know what came over me, I think I also might've been drunk- it- it didn't mean anything! Got it, un?"

Sakura shrank back a little, surprised at the sudden heated anger in his voice. She suddenly felt stupid, stupid for trying to shape him into someone she could be comfortable with. Stupid for getting worked up over nothing...

Deidara saw her look away, eyes hurt. He grimaced, lifting his hand and spreading it across his face.

_Well, it's official. I'm an idiot._ he thought.

"Look." he said. "Sakura..."

"No, I'm pretty sure I get it." she said. "It's okay."

"No- I-" he stammered.

"Really... I really do get it." she said in a small voice. "You don't have to try and explain."

"Yes, I do, un!" Deidara said, grabbing onto her shoulders. "You don't understand-"

"You're right, I don't!"

"Well- well neither do I!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know!"

"I don't either, I thought you're supposed to know!"

"Guess what? I don't!"

"You're supposed to understand what comes out of your mouth, I'm not supposed to have to run around struggling to figure it out-"

"Running around is good excercise, un."

"Well maybe you should run around trying to understand what you're saying- after all, isn't it GOOD EXERCISE, Deidara?"

"That doesn't make sense, you know."

"Your face doesn't make sense!"

"My face makes perfect sense!"

Sakura suddenly started laughing, bending over.

"WHAT'S SO FREAKIN' FUNNY?" Deidara shouted.

"This," she said, "Is the stupidest conversation I've ever had."

"Yeah, well," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets, "You started it."

"Hmph." Sakura said, blushing a little. "Well... I guess you don't have to understand everything that you think or say. Life would be a whole lot easier if everyone understood everything, wouldn't it?"

"Guess so." Deidara muttered. "Now... let's go, I bet our paid time's almost up."

He opened the door and they stepped out, closing it behind them. "Now, don't you go trying to run away like last-"

"I'm not going to, okay?" she said, rolling her eyes a little. "I'll... look." She reached over and took his arm in her hands, latching onto it and leaning her head against him. "See? I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh... okay." he awkwardly responded, looking away so she couldn't see his face turn a lovely cherry blossom shade of pink.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The old lady smiled at them as they checked out.

"You _did_ put something in the ramen, didn't you?" Deidara growled at her.

"What's done is done, Deidara, just let it go." Sakura hissed at him. "Now let's just leave, okay?"

With a last glare towards the now widely grinning elderly woman, Deidara turned. Sakura, holding onto his arm, looked up and told him something. He answered.

As the old woman watched, she dug her nails into his arm and he yelped, prompting a smirk from her.

"Hey." a voice came, from behind the elderly woman. She turned. Another lady, middle aged, stood behind her. She leaned her body against the wall. "You see that guy? Yellow hair, ponytail, black cloak?"

"Yes, I do see him." the old lady said. "Why do you ask?"

The other woman leaned in closer. "Well, guess what? I've been to Konoha... you know who that guy is?"

The old lady didn't answer, just gazed at the two individuals as they neared the inn door.

"Well," the other woman went on, "He's a criminal, from an organization called the-"

"Akatsuki." the old lady murmured. "I know."

"What?" the other woman said, confused. "If you knew, then... why didn't you call on our police or something? Do you even know what this means? He really did kidnap her, just like she said he did! And- hey, are you even listening?"

"Yes, I'm listening." the old lady said. "I know he kidnapped her, too. Konoha sent out a missing notice."

"Then why the hell didn't you save her?" the woman shouted in disbelief.

"I would've..." the old lady said, smiling as she tilted her head to the side. "But... they're made for each other, can't you tell?"

The other woman just stared at her for a second before sighing and shaking her head. "Whatever. You seem to know these kind of things, I guess."

But the old lady didn't answer, only kept smiling as she watched Deidara and Sakura breeze out the front door.

"Take care." she whispered after them. "Protect each other well. Unpleasant things loom ahead, in your path..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Nothing?" Kakashi said. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious." Tsunade said, leaning back in her chair. "No reports of sightings, no ransom letters. The only thing we found was the one smashed walkie-talkie in the forest."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Naruto shouted in fury. "How could she just disappear like that, without a trace? Where were the signs of a struggle? And why- why would anyone want to take her? It's not like she was a top Konoha official, it's not like she had any important information- and- not even a ransom-!"

"None of us do." Kakashi said sternly. "Calm down, Naruto."

"So she walked into the forest on her night watch and never returned." Sai mused. "A puzzling mystery."

"Well, we've sent out missing notices." Tsunade said. "There's nothing we can do now but wait. Naruto, I know you're very angry and I don't want to upset you, but... we shouldn't rule out the worst case scenario."

"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Naruto yelled. "I KNOW she isn't-!"

"Naruto, kindly shut up." Kakashi said. "Tsunade... just let us know if any new developments happen. Thank you for your time."

"You're welcome. I, along with everyone else in the village... we're all praying for Sakura's safe return."

"Thank you." Kakashi repeated, and then what remained of Team 7 turned and walked out the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura gazed wistfully back over her shoulder at the open doors of the small village. She gazed at them until they were finally hidden in between the trees, obscured from sight.

Depressed, she swung her head forward again. Deidara glanced back, then spread out his hand. A bird flitted from it, popping into a large one.

"Come on." he said, grabbing Sakura's hand and pulling her onto the bird after him. "The Akatsuki could be here any second, un!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." she grumbled, sitting down heavily as the bird started to rise. Sakura felt her stomach drop low as the clay creature soared high- and then it stopped.

"Hey!" she said. "What's-"

Deidara put his hand over her mouth, and she was silent. "They're here." he whispered. "I can sense them."

They hovered in the air in complete silence for a few seconds. Sakura felt his pulse, thumping rhythmically against her cheek. Finally, he let go over her head and stood up straight.

"Maybe I made a mistake." Deidara muttered, looking around. "They're not anywhere around us... you stay here, I'm going to go check quickly."

A tendril of clay rose from the bird and whipped around Sakura's ankle, tying it in place. She rolled her eyes, secretly cursing at him inside as he jumped off the bird. And so Sakura sat, listening to the faint rustling of his movements.

Something fell onto Sakura's head, liquid, and rolled down the side.

Great. she thought dejectedly. Rain. Just what I needed.

Two more drops fell on her arm, and she leaned over the side of the bird, looking for Deidara... another drop. And then, she realized something.

The drops of rain... were warm?

She felt another one land on her arm and drip down to the palm of her hand. Slowly, nervously, she lifted her hand up...

Red. A bead of red was staining her palm.

"Hidan, you hopeless idiot. Wear a bandage next time, or something." she heard.

Deidara heard a scream rip through the quiet stillness of the morning air. "Sakura!" he yelled, leaping back up through the trees-

He froze. Crouching on a tree branch, Hidan had his arm around her midsection, his long, glittering scythe held to her throat. Kakuzu stood next to him.

"It's very simple." Kakuzu said. "Do I even have to say it?"

Deidara was still frozen, unresponsive, his eyes fixed on the blade that touched Sakura's skin. Her eyes were closed, forehead shining with sweat.

"I guess I do have to say it." he continued. "Let yourself be captured, and we'll let her go. That wasn't so hard, now, was it-?"

"No deal." Deidara responded, voice hard. "You turn her over or I beat the stuffing out of you. That's not so hard to understand, now, is it?"

Kakuzu stared at him for a second, and then he turned to Hidan. "You stay here, and I'll go retrieve him."

He jumped off the tree branch. Deidara tensed and then dodged. Kakuzu flew past him, but then his fist shot out and caught him square in the chest. Hissing in pain, Deidara grabbed it and pulled.

Kakuzu didn't even stumble, instead pulling his fist back. Deidara let go of it, almost falling forward, and then his bird flew under him and he stepped on it as it flew higher, farther away. His hand reached into his pocket.

"C'mon, un...!" he urged his hand-mouths as Kakuzu tilted his head and thought for a second.

Meanwhile, a few yards away, Sakura opened her eyes. She needed to see what was going on...

"I can smell the fear on you, pathetic girl." Hidan laughed from behind her. He slowly unzipped the top of her shirt and she felt the cold steel of his scythe on her bare skin, resting against it. "I think I'll go dig your heart out. Wouldn't that be nice? There are so many puns I could make right now, about how I'm stealing your heart..."

The point of the blade started pressing into her skin, and Sakura felt a sharp twinge of pain. But she wasn't afraid. No, she wasn't even listening... just concentrating...

"Aren't you going to scream, girl?" Hidan purred. "Or maybe struggle? I love it when my victims struggle..." his voice trailed off suddenly as he became aware of a sudden... weariness in him.

He looked down, baffled... and suddenly became aware that her hands were glowing, placed against him.

"Whoa!" he yelled furiously, kicking her away from him. But then she latched onto his neck and didn't let go, didn't let go even when he raised his knee up and it hit her in the stomach.

_Just gotta drain enough of his energy... _she thought, heartbeat accelerating. "DAMN IT, STOP MOVING!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Hidan shouted, spinning around. "GET THE HELL OFF ME!"

"Not on your LIFE!"

"I'LL CUT YOU TO RIBBONS!"

"Not if I can help it!"

Hidan grabbed his scythe and lifted it up, above his head, bringing it down onto her back. She screamed, jerking, but still kept holding on.

Kakuzu glanced towards them, seeing them spin in circles on the tree. "What the hell is that idiot doing?" he muttered.

Suddenly, something smacked into his side, exploding on contact. As his threads knitted over the wound, he turned-

But Deidara was no longer there.

He was speeding towards Sakura and Hidan. "Sakura, grab my hand!"

Sakura lifted her hand up as he reached down, eyes wide as he swooped lower, coming closer-

"Thanks, stupid girl." Hidan said.

Sakura gasped. "DEIDARA- RUN!"

"Huh-?"

Hidan leapt over Sakura, throwing himself at Deidara. He tried to dodge, swinging to one side, but Hidan was suddenly on him. Deidara only had one second to glimpse a flash of steel, but-

"NOOO!" Sakura shouted, hearing him scream. A shower of Deidara's blood rained down on her head and she screamed as well, closing her eyes as thin rivers of bright red ran down her face.

Hidan pulled Deidara off the bird and leapt down, towards the nearest tree. Deidara lashed out with his legs, his chest burning with an incredible pain, but Hidan just laughed as he pinned him against the tree trunk and pressed his scythe into his stomach.

Deidara's vision blurred as he grew dizzy... the mad man's eyes before him growing dark and far away...

And Sakura was suddenly in front of him, grabbing Hidan's arm as she stole his last shreds of energy. His crazed smile faded as his eyes rolled back, and he slumped, losing his balance.

Sakura watched him plummet down- but then Kakuzu was there. His hand spun off his arm, grabbing onto her throat. Squeezing... no air... she kicked at him, hands scrabbling at his hold around her neck-

"No!" She heard Deidara yelled hoarsely from behind her. He grabbed her waist, pulling her away, but Kakuzu held on... his hand reached for Deidara's neck...

"Eat clay." Deidara gasped, and then he let go of three birds. They slammed into Kakuzu and exploded, and Sakura screamed as a bright flame rose before her and Kakuzu fell back.

"Let's go!" Deidara said, dragging her onto the bird that was suddenly beside them. It pulled up, away from the trees.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, mind whirling with adrenaline... and then she remembered, opening her eyes. "Deidara, you're hurt..."

"Oh, it's nothing, un." he groaned, clutching his lower chest. Blood ran through the trembling fingers clutching onto the wound. "Really."

"You idiot!" she yelled. "That tough guy attitude will get you NOWHERE, you hear?"

Deidara felt a dizziness come over him and he groaned. "Just... heal me, okay?"

Sakura laid her hands against him, frowning as she worked. "Why couldn't you defeat them? Are you stupid?"

"I'm a long range fighter!" he yelled back. "I'm pretty much useless when they get me up close like that. It's- it's not like YOU were doing a great job, either!"

"Oh, like... like that's an excuse now?" Sakura said. "I didn't have any weapons, and anyway... I'm a medic, for heaven's sake! How am I supposed to fight like that? That's NOT my job, Deidara!" Her eyes moved away, an odd look coming over her face. "At least... that wasn't my job. Back in the village..."

Deidara didn't know how to answer that, so he only looked away.

Sakura tried to lure her own attention away by fantasizing, thinking of what she could do to Deidara if they weren't flying all the way up in the sky. He was wounded... she could do anything she wanted...

But suddenly, she realized that she didn't want to hurt him as much as before. No, she felt- even a little guilty about such thoughts.

Why?

Why was she even healing him? Was it because it wasn't her choice?

It seemed like nothing was her choice these days. Oh, how she missed the freedom she used to have...

She always had a choice in things. The power to choose- funny that she only realized how important it was to her now, now that she would probably never get it back.

It was a shame, a real shame that she didn't know that Deidara would never have forced her to heal him in the first place.


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Oooh, the story progressed! ;)**

**By popular demand, another element has been added to the story. YOU WILL SEE PEOPLE MWAHAHA**

**Anyhoooo... enjoy! XD**

Chapter Nine

Deidara moaned again, twisting in discomfort. His hand fell down to his patched-up midsection.

"Moaning isn't going to make anything better, you know." Sakura muttered, shooting a glare at him.

"Kill me." Deidara said as he laid the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead. It slid down over his eyes.

"Don't be stupid." Sakura scoffed, gazing out into the cloudy day.

"It hurts, un. You did a bad job."

Sakura whirled. "Did NOT! There's only so much I can _do_, idiot- what am I, a miracle worker?"

"Ohhhh." he moaned again, letting his head fall to the side. Blond hair spilled over his shoulders. "This is painful. I don't like this."

"Oh, suck it up!" she said. "Be a man."

"I _am_ a man!"

"Well, then, start acting like one!"

"I bet there's an exemption in the rules on acting like a man, something about being in extreme pain. It's in there somewhere..."

Sakura started to respond, but then Deidara blinked slowly. And then, he closed his eyes for a second...

The bird wavered.

"Whoa! Hey! Wake up, idiot!" she shouted, slapping him. He jolted awake. "Land now, or we're going to die!"

"Fine, un!"

The bird quickly coasted down, dipping unevenly at times. Sakura clutched onto the surface, tense with fear. When it finally slid onto the ground, she loosened, sighing.

It had been a few hours since the Akatsuki's attack, about three or four. Sakura was tired and stiff from spending so much time wound up, craning her neck over the side of the bird to make sure they weren't being followed.

"Okay, I really have to sleep." Deidara groaned, sinking to his knees and then onto his side.

Sakura rolled her eyes, but she also laid down. "I guess I could use some sleep too."

They were both out instantly, comforted and lulled by one another's presence.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura was dreaming that she was in a hot spring. It was warm and bubbly, soothing her tired muscles...

But then, it started heating up. She gasped, trying to get out, but her body was suddenly weighed down-

It kept getting hotter and hotter, burning steam sweeping across her-

Sakura jolted awake and realized that Deidara's hand was burning with heat on her arm. His breaths were hot gasps on her neck.

She immediately got up and shook him. "Deidara, wake up! Now!"

Deidara's eyes opened slowly, and he tried to sit up- but suddenly, a dizziness overtook him, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he found Sakura's worried eyes trained on him.

"Sakura?" he said groggily, wiping his damp forehead. "What's-"

And then the pain of his wound came flooding back and he cursed, doubling over.

"Deidara, what's wrong?" Sakura shouted, grabbing his shoulder with one hand and lifting his head up with the other. "Does something-"

She looked down.

Fresh blood was soaking the bandages over his wound.

The medic half of her mind screamed. The other half whirled.

And then, everything suddenly snapped into clear focus.

"Here, grab my shoulders!" Sakura said, crouching down. When she felt his shaking hands grasp her, she stood up, took the pack he'd been carrying into her hands, and started running.

"This is embarrassing." she heard him groan."I'm getting a piggyback ride from a girl who's supposed to be my captive. Oh, how I've fallen"

"Shut up!" Sakura said. "Do you know which way the village we just came from is?"

"No." Deidara said. "It would be... hours away..."

Sakura felt his grip loosen, so she dug her nails into his arm. "Don't you dare fall asleep, you hear me?"

He woke up and his grip tightened again. "Which way are you going, then?"

"I thought I saw a village from the air, when we were flying." she said. "Hold on!" And she leapt up, into the tree branches. "Don't you dare slip off, you hear me?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"This isn't funny!" she yelled over the wind rushing in her ears. "You have an infection or something! You need a hospit-"

"No!" he yelled, suddenly alert. "If I go to a hospital, they'll recognize me-"

"No they won't-"

"And even if they don't, they'll see the mouths on me!"

Sakura pursed her lips. "See if I care. You're not going to die, not if I can help it!"

There was a silence, laced only with the sounds of fluttering leaves and the crack of Sakura's feet on the branches beneath them.

"Sakura." Deidara said quietly. "Why didn't you kill me?"

Sakura went numb. "What?"

"Right now, you could've just drained the rest of my energy or left me to die- but you didn't."

"Idiot." she muttered. "Where would I go? We're in the middle of nowhere-"

"You're lying."

Sakura didn't answer to that, instead just looking down at the scenery rushing past.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The village had a pretty name. However, Sakura wasn't paying much attention to the sign by the gate. The only thing that mattered was that among the small, muddy huts before her, there had to be a doctor. One with medicine.

By the time she got to the village, Deidara had lost consciousness. She stumbled through the village gate, the weight of him in her arms making her knees sear with pain.

"Help!" she shouted, panting as she leaned against the village gate. "Someone's hurt!"

Deidara woke up, pale face streaming with sweat. His disheveled hair brushed against her arm as he turned his head up to squint at her.

_Why?_ he thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura paced outside the small room. She heard some movement from behind the worn wooden door, and then the doorknob turned.

It was one of the only sophisticated buildings in the entire village. The rest was near primitive, huts with roofs of sticks and straw dotting the land.

The doctor came out, closing the door behind him. Sakura walked briskly towards him. "Is he going to be all right?" she said, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to be worried about him for just a moment.

"Your cousin is going to be all right." the doctor said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Its a pretty serious infection, but within a few days we can-"

"Wait." Sakura said, looking up at him in confusion. "Cousin?"

"He regained consciousness for a little and informed us that you were his cousin. Also, he said..."

"Yeah?"

Suddenly, the doctor whirled and shoved her into the room. Sakura gasped, stumbling and turning just as the door slammed shut. She ran to it, yanking the small curtain over the door's small, square window to the side.

"Hey!" she shouted, her breath fogging up the glass. "Why-?"

"Your cousin told us about your severe mental disorder." the doctor said. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay in the room. There's another bed in there for you."

With that, the doctor turned and walked away, down the dark, narrow hallway.

Sakura glared daggers at Deidara's sleeping form. His face was half-hidden by his tousled hair.

The hair tie he'd been wearing and his blank headband lay on the small table next to the bed.

There was a chair next to the bed. Sakura pulled it up and sat down beside him, lip curling in anger. "Did you REALLY have to tell them that I had a mental disorder?" she yelled, hands gripping the sides of the chair. "After I saved your life, couldn't you just have let me go?"

He didn't answer, eyes still closed. Asleep, probably.

Sakura loosened, leaning back. "Honestly, I don't know what made me save you back there. You deserve death."

Since he was asleep and there was no one else around, Sakura took the opportunity to rant.

"I'm tired of you." she said. "You think I'm yours, don't you? I'm your little servant girl? Well, I certainly haven't done enough to dissuade you of that, have I? Playing along with your stupid little game. Heck, I even saved your life! What am I even doing anymore? What was I ever doing?"

She sighed. "You know what I want? I want to go back to Konoha. I want to walk through the big, familiar gates and... and..." there was a twisting feeling at the pit of her stomach. "I want to go to Tsunade and say hi, then go on a mission with Naruto and Sai and Kakashi, and- and hang out with Ino- you took that all away, do you understand? You took it from me!"

Her voice rose. "And I just saved you. Saved you, the very thought! You threaten to kill me all the time! You- you treat me badly! I hate you! I hate you forever! You make me sick to my stomach, why I brought you here is a mystery to me-"

_Or is it?_

Was it really a mystery, or did she know the reason?

_I'm lying to myself._

"SHUT UP!" she yelled at him, as if he was the source of her nagging doubts. "Shut UP!"

Then, she stood and paced.

_I'm going crazy, _she thought. _Nuts. Insane. I've got to calm down._

_ After all, I know what I want..._

_ Don't I?_

Sakura sat down again, eyes looking far away. _I'm not lying to myself, am I? No._

But she _had _lied to herself before, that she knew. She'd told herself that Sasuke was important, more so than her friendship with Ino. That through her companionship, he would heal emotionally and stay with her. And when he'd gone, she lied to herself that she didn't want him anymore.

_ Who am I, anyway?_ she thought, cold. _Am I really who it seems I am now, a creature made of lies? What else that I think could be fake- my friendships? My memories?_

She looked up at Deidara.

Then, he'd come into the equation. A lonely, sometimes violent stranger who soared through the sky on clay birds.

A lonely stranger...

Behind every lie, there is a truth. Lies are weak, but the truth is brilliant. It shines through the cracks and cannot be erased.

And it was the truth that came tumbling out of her mouth, now as she spoke. Now, as she pulled herself up and sat on the edge of his bed.

"In Konoha, I was supposed to be happy." she said, staring into his closed face. "I was supposed to be the 'normal girl', in a team made of broken people without parents. Right?" Her lip trembled, but she shook it off and went on. "I was supposed to be stable, yet vain- the perfect portrait of a girl who's full of herself. That's how it worked, right? How it was supposed to be?"

Her eyes grew moist, and she wiped them with her sleeve. "Naruto and Sasuke drowned in their loneliness, their rage. Both of them were friendless. Me, I had Ino. But..." her heart pounded in her chest. "But I... I was _lonely_!"

She clenched her teeth, tears making their way down the curve of her face. "Yes. Yes, that's right, I was always lonely. Lonely! I won't deny it to myself any further. People hated me. My parents thought low of me. Ino... our friendship broke apart when Sasuke walked into my life. Tsunade is a- well, you know. What real friendships do I have in life? The closest thing I've ever had to a friend was Naruto. But in the end, he only wanted my body. I was just a... a 'hot babe' to him, or something. What's wrong with me? Am I not good enough for people?"

The bedsheets choked in her shaking, tightly coiled fists. "I'm useless. I've always been useless. Just going with the flow, all this time."

She remembered Deidara's sleeping presence, and looked at him. All of a sudden, now that the lies she'd been telling herself had cleared from her head, she was starting to understand him and his actions.

Sakura tentatively reached out, outstretched hand hovering in the air. And then, finding no reason to hesitate, she reached out and took Deidara's limp hand.

Strangely at peace, she lifted it to her face, holding the back of it against her cheek. Then, she turned it over. Lifting her fingers, she traced the slightly open mouth on the palm of his hand. Her fingernails danced around its shape.

"It seems," she said quietly, setting his hand down on the white sheets. "That only the truly lonely can understand each other. The lonely who aren't supposed to be lonely, who brought it on themselves and now can't take it back, not ever."

She looked away, hesitated, then looked back at him.

"Do you understand me?" she whispered urgently, leaning forward.

Suddenly, she felt stupid talking to someone who was asleep. His ears where closed to her.

Exhausted, and seeing that it was now night outside her window, she collapsed into the futon mat that had been set out for her. Her eyes closed, and she drifted into sleep.

A long, gaping silence.

The sliver of moon that hung in the sky sprinkled just a little bit of light over the darkened room

And then, suddenly...

Deidara opened his eyes.

"Yes." he whispered. "Yes, I understand."

He brought his hand to his face, letting it fall over his thin lips.

The oval that Sakura's fingertips had traced onto his pale skin tingled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hidan frowned at his blood-red scythe, turning it over in his hands.

"What's wrong with you?" Kakuzu said. "You've been acting strange."

"Me? Nothing." Hidan grumbled.

"You haven't cursed at me once since we failed that capture a few hours ago."

"Haven't I?"

"No."

Hidan stood up angrily, the hand with his scythe falling to his side. "Get off my case, you stupid old man!"

"I'll never be old, you fool. I'm immortal."

"Sure, why not." Hidan snapped, turning away. "I'm going to sleep. Go shove your patched-up rag doll face into somebody else's business, will you?"

Kakuzu gave him a long, cold stare before turning away and checking the expensive watch on his hand. "He's not back yet. I'm going to go look for him- you stay here." With that said, he slunk off into the shadows of the forest.

Hidan's head whipped around. Once he'd made sure that Kakuzu was gone, he reached into the folds of his robe. Pulling something out, he leaned against a nearby tree.

It was a book, small and weathered.

Hungry for something, anything that wasn't the typical things that his daily life fed him, he'd picked it up while looking for firewood that night.

It was prohibited to read in Jashinism, unless it was the religion's scriptures. Unheard of, even.

But Hidan found that his curiosity outweighed his slowly fading beliefs.

The dry pages crinkled as he opened it and started reading.


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I almost typed something that I would've really, really, REALLY regretted! XD Here's a hint, if you will~**

**Kakuzu: I WHIP MAH THREADS BACK AND FORTH, I WHIP MAH THREADS BACK AND FORTH-**

**Hidan: Shut UP!**

**Anyhoo, enjoy! Review! Critique! Thanks! :3**

Chapter Ten

Sakura sat up, rubbing her eyes. Noticing that the sun was already shining through the windows of the room, she leaned over and checked the clock. It was nine in the morning.

_Huh._ she thought, glancing at Deidara. _I'm woke up before him, for once-_

He turned over, half-closed blue eyes focusing on her. "Oh, good, you're awake now. I'm bored, un!"

_Or not. _

"I can't believe you did that!" she yelled.

"Did what?"

Sakura glared at him for a few seconds until she saw the realization sweep across his face.

"Oh, the stuff I told the doctor? What were you expecting me to do?"

"Nothing." Sakura muttered, standing up and sighing.

Deidara watched her from his bed as she shuffled over to the window of the door. As she peeked out, he spoke. "Uh... also, we have a problem."

She turned to him, raising her eyebrows. "Oh? What kind of problem?"

"We don't have enough money to pay these guys."

Sakura's brow furrowed. "So how-"

"I have the herbs that I need to take. The doctor left them here."

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "We're going to escape without paying them, aren't we?"

He nodded, a strange mixture of sheepishness and malice brewing in his eyes.

"All right, let's do it." Sakura said, crossing her arms. "When?"

Deidara, in response, reached into his pocket and pulled out a bird. It flew to the window-

Sakura shielded herself with her arms, hearing the explosion. When she peeked, there was a huge chunk missing from the wall. Smoke poured over the room.

"Now." he said, smirking.

"What-?" Sakura said, bewildered. She watched Deidara take another bird and throw it onto the ground. It sprang into a full-sized one, and he swiped his pack and jumped on.

"Come on, hurry!" he said urgently. Shouts were already starting to echo down the hallway outside, pounding footsteps growing close-

Sakura ran at the bed, leaping onto it. From there, she used it as a launchpad, bouncing off and landing crouched on the bird. It took off immediately, flying through the hole in the wall, and they both turned back, looking at the hospital as it shrank away.

A small crowd of doctors and nurses had already started to gather where the chunk of wall was missing, shaking their fists and hollering curses at them. Deidara laughed and stuck his tongue out at them. Sakura rolled her eyes and punched him on the shoulder.

"Ow!" he said, angry. "What?"

"If you blast a hole through someone's wall," she hissed, "the least you can do is be nice to them after you do it!"

"And why should I do that?" Deidara said, shrugging. "What have they ever done for me?"

"They saved your life, stupid."

"A minor detail." Deidara said, standing up. "Now, count how many food pills we have left, will you? I need to plan."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hidan and Kakuzu walked through the forest.

"He said it was this way." Kakuzu muttered, checking a map. "I hope he's right."

"Mmm." Hidan answered absentmindedly.

Kakuzu looked up at him, eyes narrowing. "What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong with me?" Hidan shouted, stopping. His fists clenched. "You're the one that needs fixing!"

"Hidan, are you hiding something from me?"

"What would I be hiding from you, idiot?"

Kakuzu tilted his head to the side, scrutinizing his face. "All right, if you say so..."

"Hmph." Hidan said, turning away. He started walking again. "Hey, how much longer until we catch up with them again?"

"A few hours." Kakuzu said. He followed behind Hidan, picking through the growing suspicions in his mind.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura sat on the bird, gazing down at the trees below them. Her knees were drawn up to her chest.

It must've been around noon, but the day was cloudy and bleak. Thought it was fall, the weather was already turning chilly, and the leaves of the trees were dropping quickly.

Deidara squatted next to her, resting his arms on his knees. "I'd say, 'a penny for your thoughts', but I don't like giving people money. So... what are you thinking?"

She glanced at him, then back down. "I'm thinking about... them."

"The Akatsuki?"

She nodded.

Deidara sat down, crossing his legs. "They can't get us up here, you know."

"We can't stay up here forever." she whispered.

Deidara didn't answer, instead looking down at the forest.

"It's pretty, isn't it, un?"

"Yeah."

"Sometimes, I wish I could just stay up here. Just fly around, and never come down."

Sakura turned to gaze at him. "And what keeps you from doing that?"

A breeze darted past, making Deidara's hair flutter.

"When I'm up here," he said, "I'm pretending that this is my life. It isn't. And by now, I think I've lied to myself enough already."

"Lied to yourself?" Sakura said. "How?"

"Oh, you know." he responded, turning to her slightly. "I told myself that my art was the most important thing to me, and that I didn't need anyone."

"Oh."

"But of course, the truth has a habit of catching up to you."

"Yeah." Sakura said, closing her eyes. "It does, doesn't it?"

The leaves below them rustled peacefully, but Deidara was anything but peaceful. His heart was beating furiously in his chest.

"Lying to yourself makes you lonely sometimes, no?" he said, turning away from her.

Sakura froze, suddenly realizing that his words were sounding awfully familiar.

"But the important thing is that loneliness isn't forever." he went on. "Especially when there's someone else who understands you."

Sakura turned to him slowly, eyes widening. She was suddenly at a complete and utter loss of words.

Her eyes fixed on the back of his head, on his swaying blond ponytail.

"You- you _heard_ me, didn't you?" she said in horror, voice small.

Deidara didn't answer, didn't even move.

Sakura's mouth opened, then closed. Her mind spun through embarrassment, surprise, and then a strange feeling of relief.

A huge lump rose into her throat.

"You _heard _me," she sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut, and as he turned she fell into his arms. "You _heard_ me!"

"Shhh, don't go nuts!" Deidara said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, I heard you."

Sakura drew back suddenly, pushing him away. "This- this doesn't change anything!" she yelled.

"Doesn't it?"

"No!"

Deidara stood up, looking over the side of the bird. "If you say so-"

"I still hate you!" she shouted at him. "Nothing changes the fact that you kidnapped me. Nothing! And if I had a choice, I would run away and hope to never would see your stupid face ever again!"

A deep feeling of pain pierced him, but he didn't say a word.

"What are you gonna do now, huh?" Sakura yelled. "Aren't you going to threaten me?"

"No."

"Aren't you going to hold your knife to my throat like you always do, and tell me that you'll kill-?"

"Don't you get it by now?" Deidara shouted, whirling angrily. "At this point, _you're_ the only one who's hurting yourself!"

"Shut up, don't talk to me!" Sakura yelled, clapping her hands over her ears.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, the bird landed. It was the afternoon.

Sakura still hadn't said a word to Deidara, and was sitting facing away from him.

Once the bird had stopped moving, Deidara turned to her to try talking to her again.

"We're going to go look for food now." he said.

She said nothing, only stood up.

"Are you still angry?"

Her silence spoke for her.

Deidara sighed, standing up. "Just follow me." He started trudging through the forest, listening to her steps behind him.

Sometimes he stopped, looking back at her. She always turned away when he did.

_This is stupid._ he thought suddenly. _Why am I chasing after her like this? She'll never forgive me for what I did, ever._ He breathed in deeply, ceasing his walking. _What should I do?_

Deidara turned to her. "Sakura?"

She turned away, refusing to meet his eyes.

He reached for her shoulder, but she slapped his hand away. A frustration swept through him. "Look me in the eye and talk to me, damn it! What do you want from me, un?"

Sakura turned and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I hate you." she said, voice full of disgust.

Her words, the way she said them, pierced his heart. It felt like a punch in the stomach. Deidara opened his mouth and closed it, finding himself at a loss as she turned away.

_Ha._ Sakura thought, shooting him a glare out of the corner of her eyes. _Now-_

She never got to finish the thought.

Suddenly, something slammed into Deidara, and he stumbled forward. Sakura spun around, alert-

Deidara was on his knees, and there was something around his throat...?

A hand with strings attached?

He was suddenly jerked up, and he cried out, clawing at the hand around his throat. The hand pulled him through the air, and as he scrabbled frantically for his clay pouch, another thread tied itself around his arms-

It was Kakuzu and Hidan, standing on a branch. The branch wasn't very high up, so they were within earshot.

Deidara's eyes widened in fear, and he thrashed around in mid-air, trying to loosen Kakuzu's grip.

Sakura looked up in bewilderment, heartbeat quickening.

"Hey, you. Girl." Kakuzu said. "Would you like to be free?"

"Wh-what?" she stammered.

"He's been holding you captive, hasn't he?" he went on smoothly. "If you just walked away right now, you'd be free. We're not going to go after you if you're not helping him."

Sakura bit her lip.

This was the chance she'd been waiting for all along...

Wasn't it?

She turned, starting to walk away.

"N-no!" Deidara yelled. "Sakura!"

She stopped, clenching her fists, then kept walking.

"Sakura, please!"

And then, he knew he had to say it. The one word that he'd never, ever wanted to say again. He'd always trained so hard, just so that he'd never have to speak it... just so he'd never need anyone ever again...

_I was a fool._

"Sakura..." he shouted. "HELP!"

Heart beating, he waited for her to stop walking- maybe-

"Quiet, boy." Kakuzu said, and his hand tightened until it was crushing his windpipe. He let out a choked scream, realizing that he couldn't- breathe-

Sakura, grimacing at his strangled gasp, spun around...

Crouched...

And without even thinking, she was launching herself at Kakuzu.

He dodged to the side, grip on Deidara loosening, and she landed heavily where he'd last stood

"GET YOUR MEATY HANDS _OFF_ HIM!" she shouted, throwing herself forward. He dodged, but her punches got him on the side of his head . As he stumbled, she curled her hands into fists.

"Hidan, come over here and-" Kakuzu started-

"What's wrong?" Sakura said, pasting a smirk onto her face. "Can't take me by yourself?"

She saw his eyes narrow.

"Yeah, that's right." she said, leering at him. "Not as strong as you thought you were, eh?"

"I see." Kakuzu muttered. "You think I don't know what you're doing?"

Sakura's stomach dropped, knees going weak.

"Hidan." Kakuzu said. "Take Deidara and... _incapacitate_ him, will you?"

"With pleasure." Hidan said, forcing a mad smile onto his face.

Kakuzu whipped his strings forward, sending Deidara flying with his hands still tied. Hidan caught him, and hooked his arm around his neck.

"Deidara!" Sakura shouted, whirling and-

"You take one step more, little girl," Hidan said, hefting his scythe in his hand, "and your friend here gets some steel through him."

Sakura sucked her breath in, searching desperately for an idea- but suddenly, there were threads shooting towards her, and she threw herself to the side. She landed crouched on the ground, and Kakuzu leapt down after her.

"Hey, you." Hidan said to Deidara, laughter in his voice. "I've been told to incapacitate you. What should I start with?"

"I'm kill you." Deidara seethed, hands working at the threads around his wrists to no avail.

"Oh, really?" Hidan dragged Deidara to the ground, throwing him onto the forest floor. He planted his foot onto Deidara's back, hooking his scythe around his throat. "Are you going to kill me NOW, Deidara?"

"Yes." he choked out, and gasped as Hidan painfully jerked the scythe up.

"You think _that_ hurts?" Hidan purred, sliding the weapon out from under his neck. "Then I can't imagine what you'll think of THIS!"

The scythe came rushing down, piercing his side. Blood splattered onto the dry leaves beneath them.

Deidara lifted his eyes, grimacing in pain, and tried to see Sakura.

"You're not paying ATTENTION!" Hidan shouted, hacking into his back with his scythe. Deidara cried out in pain, feeling warm liquid seep across his clothes. He suddenly felt something rise in his throat, and he coughed a mouthful of blood.

Nearby, Sakura wasn't doing very well. She was dodging Kakuzu's many jabs and punches, but that was all she was doing. If he so much as used one of his powerful techniques, she was dead. The only thing stopping him, she knew, was his need for fresh organs.

_I'm just an easy kill to him, aren't I?_ she thought, wincing as one of his threads sliced past her cheek.

Suddenly, his arm unhinged and a huge web of threads burst out. They drew nearer, no matter how far she leapt back- they were closing over her, around her-

She tried to kick off the advancing wall before her, but it ensnared her. All light faded from her eyes, and she couldn't move anymore...

Deidara, turning his head, saw a ball of threads that Kakuzu seemed to be controlling... and then blood started dripping from within it, pooling beneath it-

"SAKURA!" he shouted, trying to get up, but Hidan dug his shoe into his side and flipped him over. He felt cold steel start slicing into his stomach, and screamed horribly as an incredible pain shot through him-

"Hidan!" Kakuzu said. "Control yourself, we need him alive."

"Fine." Hidan huffed, pulling his scythe out. Deidara gasped, back arcing, then collapsed. His breaths were shaky, and he turned his head to the side and choked on his own blood.

_It's over._ he thought faintly. _It's-_

But all of a sudden, Kakuzu hissed in pain, letting his ball of threads fall open. Sakura fell out, panting, holding a flaming match in her hand.

"A good medic," she gasped, smiling, "Always carries matches."

And the flame in her hand was no match for the fire in her eyes, as she clasped her hands together and jumped, raising them above her head...

She struck Kakuzu on the head, mustering up all the chakra she could into her fists, and kept going down, down, down-

He fell to pieces under her strong fists, bursting in half.

Sakura turned, starting to run towards Deidara. Her feet crunched on the leaves beneath them, shoes pounding across the ground.

"Kill him, Hidan." Kakuzu said, pulling himself together.

"But we were told-"

"I don't care what that idiot said we should do!" Kakuzu said, securing his arm as he started to stand. "Kill him."

Hidan raised his scythe.

"No, Sakura!" Deidara shouted, straining to focus on her. "Stay away!"

_He doesn't care what happens to him as long as she's safe._ Hidan mused.

_What if... I had someone like that?_

He knew that this was not place nor the time to have such silly thoughts, but he couldn't help it. Not anymore.

Hidan... froze. Just like that, with his scythe hovering above his head.

"Hidan!" Kakuzu shouted. "Kill him, now!"

Hidan did nothing, not even as Sakura dashed by and grabbed Deidara in her arms.

"Idiot!" Kakuzu hissed, poison in his voice as he ran after Sakura.

She glanced back, seeing that he was following her. Cursing under her breath, she quickened her pace.

"Why does this keep happening?" she seethed. "Why do they keep finding us?"

But Deidara didn't answer. He'd fallen unconscious in her arms.

Kakuzu slowly closed the distance between them, getting closer...

Sakura suddenly saw Deidara's bird, resting on its side. She landed on it and shook Deidara. "Hey! Wake up!"

He blinked, squinting up at her.

"Make your bird fly!" she yelled. "Now!"

He poured all of his remaining chakra into the task, and the bird flapped its wings, rising into the sky.

"Stay awake, stay awake..." Sakura said. "Now, fly somewhere far away and land!"

The bird sped up, zooming over the trees, until it coasted down a few miles from where it'd taken off and landed.

Sakura pulled Deidara off the bird, laying him on the ground.

"Deidara!" she yelled, seeing his eyes start to slide shut. "Deidara!" She took his head into her lap and slowly poured a bottle of water into his mouth. When it was empty, she set it aside.

He opened his eyes. "Oh..." he groaned.

"I'm sorry!" Sakura yelled, tears overflowing and spilling down her cheeks. "I'm s-sorry-y- I was such a jerk, and you could've died-!"

"It's okay." he said, reaching up and rubbing his forehead.

"No, it's not okay!" she sobbed, glistening tears rolling down her cheeks. "I lied to myself again, just like always- and- and you got hurt because of it!"

"It's okay, really-"

"You know it isn't!" she said, pulling his shirt up. "Oh, look at these wounds..." she shook her head in disbelief, lightly tracing around the damage. "All over your chest... they're all my fault, don't you get it?"

"Sakura, everyone makes mistakes-"

"But most people learn from them!" she yelled, dropping her face into her palms. "I don't!"

"Listen to me, Sakura." Deidara said, reaching out and seizing her arm. "If you really try, you can always learn from your mistakes. Here's one to start with; Every time something goes wrong, you tell yourself it was your fault, don't you? Your fault for not trying hard enough?"

Sakura thought of Sasuke, of her feeling of responsibility for bringing him back. She nodded.

"Many things like this, it's only you fault if you think of it that way." he said, squeezing her arm. "Kakuzu and Hidan would've still shown up. No matter what you did and said, they would've still hurt me. So stop killing yourself over every little thing."

Sakura's eyes softened. _Forgiving myself...?_

"Now, can you heal me, if you don't mind?" he said, grumpy. "I'm in pain over here, un."

"Right." she said, laying her hands on his chest. They glowed green, and Deidara shuddered as the pain slowly faded away.

"Thanks." he said.

"Hmph."

"So... you're not still angry, are you?"

Sakura laughed. "What do you think?"

"Can I guess... no?"

She blushed, glancing away. "Maybe. But don't count your luck."

Deidara chuckled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You _idiot_!" Kakuzu shouted, fists clenching and unclenching.

"I already told you, I- I blanked out!" Hidan complained.

"Blanked OUT?" Kakuzu went on. "In the middle of a fight, with an idiotic kunoichi speeding towards you?" His voice went dangerously low. "Do you take me for a fool, Hidan?"

Hidan gritted his teeth. "You've always been a fool."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Kakuzu said, stepping towards him.

"You heard me." Hidan hissed. "You're a fool. Always was, always will be!"

Kakuzu's hand flew at Hidan's throat, and he threw Hidan across the small clearing. He thudded against a tree and slid down. Then, calmly, Kakuzu turned away. "I'm going to sleep. Don't bother me, and don't you dare mess up again."

Hidan leaned against the tree for a while, eyes burning, hands itching to reach into his cloak and pull out his book. But he knew he had to wait, until his partner was asleep...


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I am MOST CERTAINLY NOT DEAD! XD**

**I'm sorry for the looong break- I've just had school and work and blah, and this fic sort of just got caught up in Hurricane Busy. Sorry about the short chapter- but more's coming, and fast... because I am BACK! 8'D **

**Enjoy! :3**

Chapter Eleven

The bird exploded, blowing chunks of itself all over the ground. Smoke poured into the air.

"STOP THEM!" a man yelled, grabbing at his hat and pointing into the smoke. "THIEVES!" He stumbled, falling to the ground amid the chunks of wall.

"Why can't your stupid explosions be more quiet?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Explosions, can you please shut up a little? Thanks, un."

"Har, har, har. So funny."

"You're just jealous that I'm funnier than you. Admit it."

"This is NOT the time for that, idiot!"

"Right. Let's go."

Two shapes burst out from the gray cloud, trails of smoke billowing under their cloaks. They darted towards the line of trees up ahead, feet almost blurring as they kicked off the grass.

"HEY!" A few people ran after them, yelling-

But then the two sailed into the air, landing lightly among the tree branches above them. They ran breathlessly through the treetops for a while, until Sakura glanced back and saw that they weren't being followd.

She leapt down from the branches, and Deidara followed, hitting the ground. Dust rose up under the fluttering of his cloak, and he stood.

"Yes! Safe, haha." Deidara said, pumping his fist and grinning.

"Yeah, yeah." Sakura glumly responded, dropping the bag she'd been holding in her tightly clenched fist onto the ground.

"What's wrong?" Deidara cooed, voice melting into a mocking tone. "Does someone not like steeeealing? Does someone think that steeeealing is wrong?"

"Don't mock me!" she scoffed, crossing her arms. "These are perfectly good people we're stealing from here. They didn't do anything to us."

"You know what? Maybe it's karma. Maybe they _did_ do something wrong, and we're just unconsciously carrying out justice." He pulled a steak out of the stolen bag. "See? They killed the poor cow."

"Well, you're going to EAT the poor cow!"

"So are you, un." Deidara said, flicking her on the nose.

"Ow!" she hissed. "Stop it!"

But then Deidara laughed, eyes sparkling as they flickered towards her. "Your face looks funny." he said, picking up the bag on the ground and slinging it over his shoulder.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh too, until it diminished into a giggle and faded away. She shook her head, realizing that she didn't even fully know what she was laughing about.

"Come on. We have some steak to cook." Deidara said, and Sakura ran, catching up to him. They walked together.

It had been a few months since Sakura had been flown away, give or take a few days. Crisp winter had melted into youthful spring, and now the trees were full of lush, green leaves.

And they were happy.

They'd had a few more brushes with the Akatsuki. Close calls. Open wounds.

But it was okay.

Right?

No.

Because you can always run, you can run from anything... but hiding? That's different.

And Deidara and Sakura would come to learn that, once the relatively peaceful period of time came to its inevitable end.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"WHAT IS THIS?" Kakuzu yelled, smashing his elbow into Hidan's chest. Hidan staggered, trying to regain his balance.

A slim, tattered book dangled from Kakuzu's hand, its pages fluttering in the wind.

"I can explain-"

"Oh? Then START explaning."

Hidan opened his mouth, then closed it. His brows descended into a fierce angle. "Well, you know what, Kakuzu? I don't tell you how to live YOUR life! It's MY book, and I have the right to-!"

"The right?" Kakuzu let out a short, sharp laugh, like a dog's bark. "The RIGHT? You think you have RIGHTS?"

Hidan gritted his teeth, drawing his scythe. "Know what? I am just about FED UP WITH YOU! You CANNOT tell me how to practice my religion, or tell me what I FRICKIN' CAN AND CAN'T DO!"

"Watch me." Kakuzu said coolly, eyes narrowing as he clenched his fist-

"Calm down."

A voice came from the shadows of the trees, and both Hidan and Kakuzu tensed. Hidan loosened his grip on his scythe.

"I was just telling Hidan-"

"I know." the voice said. "I could hear you a mile away. Now, what's that in your hand?"

"I took it from Hida-"

"RAG-FACE-!"

"Shut UP, you idiotic-"

"Both of you, QUIET!" the voice boomed. A hand extended forward. "Now, Kakuzu- give me that."

Kakuzu walked forward, dropping it into the waiting hand. There was a moment of silence.

"Hidan." the voice said. "Do you know what this is?"

"Yeah. It's MY BOOK."

"No." the voice said. The person shook his head. "This is enemy propaganda, designed to make you soft and weak. Take a look at this tree, Hidan." His hand gestured towards a nearby tree.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"It looks strong, doesn't it?" the voice said softly. The speaker ran his hand down the rough tree bark. "So rough outside... but see that hole up there? There are squirrels in this tree. They've made a home inside it, eaten away at the wood. This tree... is impure. Do you know what is done with impure wood?"

The hand shot out and smashed into the tree. It splintered, heavy top falling over, and smacked loudly into another tree, which also snapped. The earth shuddered with the impact when it all hit the ground.

"See?" the voice said. "It fell. It also destroyed another tree, which was perfectly healthy- at least, until its life was cut short by this big, rotten tree. Do you understand, Hidan?"

"Yes." Hidan lied, a bead of sweat running down the side of his head.

"Good." the voice said. "I'm glad we've come to an understanding. Kakuzu, please take this trash and throw it out." The hand dropped the book back into Kakuzu's hand, and then the speaker was gone.

"You are officially an IDIOT." Hidan hissed through clenched teeth, whirling and stalking away.

"Oh? How was it MY fault that he showed up?"

Hidan ignored him, stepping over the fallen tree and glaring at it.

"Now the squirrels don't even have a home anymore." he muttered angrily.

Kakuzu blinked. "What-"

"Nothing." Hidan muttered, stepping back over the tree and going to a spot next to the fire. "I'm going back to sleep, douchebag. I hope you die."

"I'm immortal."

"I HOPE YOU DIE ANYWAY!" Hidan yelled, turning on his side and putting his head on his pack.

Kakuzu shook his head, sitting down. Eventually, he heard Hidan's breathing slow.

His eyes settled on the fallen tree before him. He looked back at Hidan, then at the tree. "The squirrels don't have a home, he says." Kakuzu muttered. "The squirrels, of all things. Who cares about the stupid squirrels?" He looked down at the book.

_And what kind of book could this be, for it to change Hidan? Hidan is stubborn. I know Hidan._

Whether it was the sick fascination that drove him to do it, or the curiosity, or just the boredom of the night, he would never know. But the fact is, Kakuzu opened the book, holding the first page down under his rough hands. He read the first sentence, then the next, then a paragraph. One page turned into five pages, and that into fifteen, and onwards- but Kakuzu didn't care. The world had stopped moving around him.

Or maybe... it didn't stop.

Maybe, just maybe... it had finally started moving again.


End file.
